Sawtooth Wolves
by The-crazy-lone-wolf77
Summary: Kate and Humphrey are taken away from Jasper and relocated to Sawtooth National Park. Immediately Kate tries to find a way to get home. Unfortunately a terrible accident falls upon them and they are forced to stay. Now the two are stuck miles away from a pack that is on the brink of war that only Kate can stop.
1. Chapter 1

**Humphrey**

'What the hell happened last night.' Was the only thing that ran through my mind at the moment.

It was weird. All I could remember was going to the moonlight howl last night. I remember that Kate and I were having a discussion, we'll more like an argument, over that wolf Garth. I found it amusing that a wolf like Garth was blown off by Kate. It was even funnier how Kate tried to defend him even though I saw through her lies.

Then on the flip side, it kind of hurt me. Only moments before she shoved me aside like a bad piece of Caribou and I'm one of her best friends. I have been ever since I joined the pack as a pup. It hurt me that she would do something like that and then try and defend someone she just barley met.

But I guess that shouldn't matter right now because there was a bigger problem. I have no idea what happened after that. I knew that I was unconscious right now but I don't remember going back to my den and falling asleep. I knew something was wrong and I didn't like it.

The weird thing, though, is that I'm aware that I'm not awake. Yet I wasn't in any kind of dream or anything like that, it was just kind of darkness. I couldn't do anything either, I was stuck in one spot. It was odd.

Fourtunetly, it was only short lived. I was all of a suddenly violently shaken awake. I slowly opened my eyes and let out a groan of pain. My head was aching immensely. It feels like I might of had to many fermented berrys last night. Except I don't remember eating any. I kind of wish I knew what was going on.

I decided to take in my surroundings a bit, which wasn't hard at all. I seemed to be in some sort of small box type thing. It seemed kind of familiar but I just couldn't put my paw on it. Thinking about it, it is obvious that this has something to do with humans and they were taking me somewhere.

My attention was then directed to outside of the box when I heard someone outside. It sounded like Kate!

"Kate is that you?" I called out.

"Humphrey?" She replied in suprise.

"Yah, it's me." I told her. But I guess her shock was short lived because she started bashing on the sides of the cages.

"Kate, what are you doing?" I ask her.

"Trying to get out of here." She told me as she armed into the side again.

"Kate, you need to calm down. Maybe they're taking us to more food." I optimized.

"Or maybe we are the food." She shot back kind of harshly, but I pushed thar aside and saw what she meant.

"You're right Kate, keep fighting. Fight Kate." I command as she continues to try and fight out of the cages. But the longer we continued moving, the more obvious it became that she was getting nowhere. I guess she realized this too because she soon stopped.

I heard her panting a little for all the hard work she was doing. She had been at it for about fifteen minutes before actually stopping. I'd be surprised if she wasn't tired, or if she was OK. I could only imagine the bruises she would have from that.

"You alright over there?" I asked.

"Just fine. A little tired is all." She responded out of breath.

There was a long pause after that, causing the atmosphere to become awkward. Which saddened me even more and causing to give in to my fear that I have been facing. I truer to deny it at first but it seemed to be clear as day. Kate wasn't interested in me anymore, as a friend I mean. She never loved me to begin with. I guess alpha school just dies that to a wolf. It forces wolves to become a whole other wolf. Things like old omega friends just don't seem to matter to them anymore. And it hurt knowing this.

Of course I could just be over reacting but I doubt it. She hasn't shown any friendly interstate in me since she has gotten back. Plus the only real conversation we have had since her return is an argument over some dumb ass wolf. It made my heart ache.

"Do you think we're going to be ok?" I asked her trying to strike a conversation.

"I couldn't tell you." Was all she had to say back. I sighed in defeat and decided to drop it. I would just have to wait in silence for what ever is to come.

So we went along in silence, nothing else to be said. It was weird to go this long without talking to her. When we were younger, there wasn't a time when we weren't talking to each other.

We had such good times playing games. Then other times we would just walk and talk. We were both pretty mature for our age. Kate was because of her high ranking status in the pack. Being the pack leaders daughter makes you grow up a little faster than others. She grew up around talks on pack politics. Hearing all about issues around the pack and problems faced between other rival packs such as the east. Then there was me, I definitely had my own reasons for having to grow up faster than others.

Its hard to believe that was us only a season ago. Before winter, before alpha school, that was our lives. Its difficult to see that so much has changed in so little time. Its as if Kate and I had never been friends in the first place.

My thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of us suddenly stopping. I stopped and starting listening for something, anything to tell me what was going to happen. That's when I heard the voices of humans. I had no idea what they were saying, it was all gibberish to me.

The sound of them grew closer until it was like they were right on top of me. I became startled when I felt my self suddenly getting picked up off the ground. Was this the end, was I going to die here? I was set back on the ground and I waited for what the humans where going to do next.

I didn't have the best relationship with humans. And when I say that I mean that I hold a very deep hatred for them. They're the ones that had ruined my life so long ago. Yet, I knew that there was nothing I could do. If I tried anything I knew the whole pack would pay. They'd exterminate all of us like we were pests. Of course that's how they see us. They are a self centered species who will be the death of our world.

Off to the side of me I heard Kate being set down also. I had no idea what to expect from here. Though this seemed all knew to me, something about this felt familiar.

All my thoughts left my head when the box opened up and I saw day light. Instinct immediately kicked in and I booked it out of that small evil box. I hope I never have to be put in one of those again.

I saw Kate run out in front of me and I could tell that the same thing was on both of our minds, to get as far away from that place as possible. I for one didn't want to take the chance of them changing there minds about letting us free. Luckily, with our speed we created a lot of distance in a short amount of time. If they did want to tale us again, it would take them some time to catch up.

We were forced to stop running when we came to a ledge. And with us being stopped it gave us some time to take a look at where we were. The most obvious thing was that we were definitely not in Jasper any more. No, this place was something different.

"Where are we?" Was the first thing out of Kates mouth.

"Why are you asking me?" I joked.

"It was a rhetorical question." She said. I could feel the venom coming from those words.

"Whoa, calm down Kate. I was only kidding." I clarifyed.

She looked over at me apologetically. "Sorry Humphrey, I'm just kind of stressed right now." She told me.

I could tell. She was definitely on edge about something. Probably just worried about her family or something.

"Come on let's go take a look around, maybe we can find some clues as to where we are. Kate said.

"Sounds gr..."

"Duck!" Kate shouted as something zoomed above my head.

We looked over in the direction where it came from only to be met with another one. I raised my body having the rock nearly missing my private area. Which caused me to sigh in relief. I looked back over and saw what looked to be a duck and a goose.

"What the hell are they doing?" I asked as I saw the goose hitting a rock with a stick.

"I have no idea but maybe they can help tell us where we are." Kate said.

"Yah, and if they can't we can eat them." I offered getting a head nod from her.

Then the problem of getting down there came to me. I was about to ask Kate how she proposed to get down there, but she jumped off the ledge before I got a chance. She was at the bottom before I even got the chance to speak. She looked up at me and motioned me to come down.

I had no idea how I was going to do this but I didn't want to make myself look bad in front of Kate. Plus this might be a way to impress her a little. I took one final look down before I took a deep breath and started to jump off. Except at the last moment my body filled with fear. Unfortunately this happened when I was basically already off the cliff. I fell down the cliff with no control and hit the ground with great force.

Immediately my eyes shot open in pain as I heard and felt a large 'snap' sound come from my leg. I howled in pain as I rolled on my back trying to take as much pressure of my leg as possible. Tears were pouring out of my eyes from the pain.

"Humphrey!" I heard Kate scream in concern. I heard her race over to me and soon she stood right above me.

"Oh my gosh Humphrey, what happened?"

"Guess im not as good as jumping off cliffs as you are." I seethed through the pain.

"We need to get you somewhere safer than this, somewhere I can work on this."

"Maybe we can be of some assistance." A french voice said.

Kate and I looked over to see who was talking and found that it was those two birds we saw earlier.

"What can you do to help, please we need to act fast." Kate pleaded.

"We know of an abandond den not to far from here." The duck said.

"Great, please show us." Kate said putting me on her back. I took this chance to actually see what was wrong with my leg. I took a look and when I saw it I was sickened by it. It was bent in a very unnatural way and my bone was sticking straight through it. It was sickening enough to make me faint from the sight of it. The last thing I remembered was bring carried away on Kates back.


	2. Complications

**Kate**

"Oh Humphrey, why did this have to happen to you, especially now?" I asked, silently in my head.

This was a multipurpose question. The first one being my worry for Humphrey. I mean, I've seen some pretty grousome and disgusting things that have happened to wolves but this was like nothing I had ever layed my eyes on. It was a horrifying sight that wanted to make me puke every time I looked at it.

I knew I shouldn't have made Humphrey jump off that stupid cliff. I should have known something like this would have happened. He is an omega, he dosn't have the same skills that an alpha like me has. Of course he wouldn't be able to do that without getting hurt like he did. I was an idiot for not seeing this coming.

I shouldn't have rushed this, but I honestly couldn't help it. The other reason I wished this hadn't happened is more selfish. This was going to definitely delay us from getting home, and that is not good. I know Humphrey just broke his leg but l think that a pack going to war is much more important than it.

I just hope that I can somehow fix this, and hopefully we can leave tomorrow. He'll just have to limp on three legs the whole way there, heck I'll carry him if I have to. I mean it's not like it would be that hard, we can't be that far from the pack, right?

"Hurry up miss, we're almost there." The duck said.

With that I picked up speed until I was only a little ways behind them, which wasn't easy considering the extra load I was carrying with me. He was heavier than he looked.

Soon I saw another cliff come into sight telling me that we weren't very far from the den. I would have to thank these two later but right now all my focus would have to be on Humphrey. The entrance to the den came into sight and I rushed through the entrance. I came to a sliding stop when I got in the den and put Humphrey on the ground. I immediately got to work.

"You two..." I said pointing at the birds. "I need two long thick sticks, some leaves and some vines." I ordered.

"Of course madam." The goose said and then they took off.

My focus was then brought back to Humphrey. I looked at the hideously deformed leg. It is his front right leg that took this unfortunate break from the fall. Blood was seeping from his leg. I needed to patch him up fast or else he might lose to much blood, or have the chance of it getting infected. Luckily, I had some training. Alpha school taught us how to act in certain emergency situations. Plus, it also helped that my mom is the pack healer, that helps out a lot.

I took ahold of Humphrey leg when I did this, Humphreys face tensed up in his sleep. I felt bad for him mostly because this wasn't going to be a quick heal. This was going to take a few months and even then he would probably walk with a permanent limp for the rest of his life.

I took a deep breath, Luckily Humphrey was asleep because this is going to hurt a lot, more than if he was to get shot. With a quick pull on his leg it straightend out with sickening noise. Then I pushed the none back into his leg, all this time Humphrey looking like he was about to die. Like I said before, he's lucky that he is passed out. I wouldn't want him to be awake for this.

After that the birds came flying back into the den with all the stuff I needed. I grabbed it from them and proceded to make a make splint so that he wouldn't be able to move his leg. We don't need any further injury from this.

I put some leaves on his leg as bandages then put the sticks on to keep his leg straight, and then tied it all together with the vines. When I was done, I backed up and looked down at Humphrey. His face finally didn't show any signs of pain or discomfort. I have a feeling that he'll be just fine. I just hope that it's not infected because that would not be good at all. That would cause so many problems that Humphrey just didn't need.

I blushed a little as I stared at Humphrey sleeping. I had to admit that he was a little cute when he slept. Oh what am I saying, he's cute all the time. Unfortunately, I'm an alpha and he's an omega, It just can't work. Plus, I'm pretty sure Humphrey only sees me as a friend. Either that or I'm just really blind in seeing anything to show that he likes me. But I'm pretty sure he just likes me as a friend.

I brushed the thought aside and decided I should probably clean up all the blood that got on my fur. I didn't want it to stain. I should ask those birds if they knew of any place where I could wash off.

I stepped out of the cave and the two were right outside, waiting for me. These two were odd, usually other animals run away from the sight of a wolf but these two didn't seem to be deterred by my presence.

"Is he ok?" The Duck asked.

"Yah, he's going to be fine. For the most part, that is. Anyway, do you know of anywhere I could wash all this blood off of me?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. If you follow me I will take you to a river not to far from here." The goose said.

They flew off and I followed behind them. I would have to talk to them eventually about some important things. Like where we were, and if they knew how to get to Jasper to here. And if they did it would be great if they could give us an estimated time of how long it would take us.

It didn't take too long for us to reach the lake, and when we did I dived right in. I didn't want this blood on me any longer than it already was. The water was pretty cold, which is understandable since winter had just ended not to long ago. All the snow had melted and turned to runoff and poorest into the rivers.

I scrubbed all the blood off of my paws and legs and some off of my chest until I was completely clean from all of it. I got out and shook all of the water off.

"Have a nice swim?" I heard the goose ask.

"Yeah, it was wonderful." I replied sarcastically while shivering. But in all honesty, it was actually pretty nice to get washed off.

"I need to ask you two a few questions." I said, catching them a little off guard.

"Yes, of course. Ask away." The duck said.

"Ok, first of all I need to know where the hell are we?" I questioned.

"Well, you're in Sawtooth National Park, in the state of Idaho." The goose explained.

"Why would the humans bring us here?" I asked myself out loud.

"Probably because they're aren't very many wolves around here. I haven't seen one in months." The duck told me.

I looked at them confused. What did they mean, who cares if there aren't that many wolves here.

"I see you're a little confused, let me explain. Humans don't like it when a population of a species goes down in numbers. So they take two, in this case wolves, of opposite gender and relocate them so they can, you know... repopulate." The goose explained.

I looked at them in disgust. Why would anyone want to do that. Besides Humphrey and I would never do anything like that. It would ruin our friendship, and I didn't want that to happen. Also, I did not want to become a mother anytime soon.

"Ok, then do you know where Jasper Park, Canada is. I really need to get back there." I told them.

"Ahh, Jasper, we love Jasper. Yes, it's only about a days run from here for you. But with your friend, it would be more like a four day walk, considering all the breaks you guys would have to take if you left. Which I do not recommend. A trip like that could cause some permanent damage to your friends leg." The duck said.

I sighed, of course things just had to get a whole lot more complicated. What was I going to do. My thoughts went back to what Tony said, about how he would take the valley by force if he needed. He wouldn't win, the west was far stronger than the east but there would still be a lot of death. And it would all be my fault.

But I couldn't just leave Humphrey here alone. He needed someone here to look after him. He would be an easy target for lone wolves and bears and other deadly things. Plus, he wouldnt be able to eat at all. He could'nt move, much less hunt. There was no question that I was going to have to stay, but the consequences of delaying my return to the pack were going to be dire.

I rubbed my head, all of this was giving me a giant headache. I looked up at the birds. "Thanks you two, for everything."

"No problem. My names Marcel, by the way. And this is Paddy." The goose said.

I nodded. "My names Kate." I told them.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Kate, but I'm afraid we must be off. We'll come check up on you and your friend from time to time to see if you're fairing alright." Marcel said.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." I told them. And with that they flew off.

I looked up in the sky and saw that it was about midday. I realized that I hadn't eaten much since dinner last night, and dinner was pretty terrible. I decided that I should probably hunt for something to eat. I wouldn't be able to take down a whole caribou by myself so hopefully I would be able to find a small deer. This would also be a nice suprise for when Humphrey woke up. Considering he dosn't wake up before I get back.

I started to scent the air hoping to get a whiff of anything I could hunt. It only took a moment before I caught the scent of another animal. When I did I took off in the direction I smelled it in. Food was the only thing on my mind at this moment because I was starving.


	3. Trouble in the Packs

**Winston**

This is not good, not good at all. The timing for this to happen couldn't be any worse. The Eastern Pack was getting restless without the proper food that they needed. It also didn't help that Tony was not thinking rationaly. He knew that if he brought on a war with our packs that his pack would be demolished. Sure, he would take some of our wolfs lives but not enough to do much damage. I guess I couldn't blame him, if my pack was starving I would do the same thing.

That's the reason why I offered up Kate to marry Garth. It seemed like the only thing to do that would keep the packs at peace and not bring total chaos and war. I thought it was a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. When Kate found out, I was terrified how she would react to it. But to my suprise, she took it fairly well. I knew that it wasn't what she wanted to do, I could see it in her eyes. But I was proud of her when she did what she needed to do and took responsibility for her pack.

But now she's missing. She never came home from the howl last night and I'm very worried. Its a little past midday and she still hasn't come home yet. This wasn't like her, and all I could think of was that something terrible had happened to her.

I sent out search parties a little while ago but I have still yet to hear anything back from them. There are not many things that could have happened to her but the thing that kept popping up in my mind was that the east had kidnapped her. If they did, they were probably going to hold her ransom for the valley. If that was so, Tony was going to have a rude awakening call.

But I can't jump to any conclusions, especially none like that. Its stuff like that that causes unnecessary war. Something else may have happened to her. I just hope that where ever she is that she is okay. I don't know what I'd do if I found out something happened to my little girl.

Just then, two of the wolves that I sent out came back.

"Tell me you have something?" I begged of them.

They looked at me with sympathy. "I'm sorry sir, we checked everywhere we were told to. Nothing. Hopefully the other teams will be more successful."

I nodded sorrowfuly. "Thank you you two, you've done all you could. Now go home and get some rest, you deserve it." I told them.

They thanked me and then left me alone in my den. One patrol down, three more to go. Hopefully one of them will be able to find something. In the meantime I think Im going to pay my good friend Tony a visit. And I might as well bring along some Alphas with me, just to make it interesting. I wouldn't accuse Tony of kidnapping my daughter, I would just ask if he had seen her. Though I'm pretty sure he'd get what I meant when I came with a few alphas.

I walked out of my den and down to where the Alphas hang around when they're off duty. When they saw me coming over to them, they all stood at attention.

"At ease." I told them which caused them to relax.

I scanned them, looking for who would be best to take with me. I was thinking of a group of four. Obviously I was going to pick Hutch, then I have to pick Candu because those two work great with each other. The other two are some great alphas.

"Hutch, Candu, Ryan and Michael; I need you four to accompany me to a little meeting with the east. I need to have a little chat with Tony." I explained.

"Yes sir." They all said in unison.

I turned around and gestured for them to follow me towards the East and west divide. This is where the boarder for the east and west is, hence the name. Its also where we hold all foreign affair meetings.

I reached a certain point and howled out then I waited for a responce from Tony. It only took seconds before he accepted the meeting. I gestured for them to move and we sped down to the divide. It only took us moments before we reached it. After that all we had to do was sit and wait. It was going to be a second before Tony got here and I knew that. His back problems definitely don't help with his mobility.

Eventually, though, he got here. And with him came three other wolves. One of which was his son, Garth.

"What's the meaning of this meeting, Winston?" Tony questioned.

"My daughter never came home from the howl last night. I was hoping maybe you or your son knew where she had gone?" I asked.

Tony turned to Garth and whispered a few things to him and Garth whispered something back. This went on for a couple of seconds. He turned back to me.

"I'm sorry Winston, Garth says she left him in the middle of the howl and never returned." Tony told me.

That made me think for a second. Why would Kate just get up and leave then to just have no one see her again. Someone had to have seen her some time after she left Garth. My thoughts went to one particular wolf.

"Thank you for your time, Tony. We must be off now I have a daughter to find." I said turning around.

"Winston." Tony called out, which made me turn back around and face him.

"I do hope that this isn't some scheme to delay the uniting of the packs. It would be a shame if you are because if you are, then I will have no choice but to assume you to be a traitor to our agreement. Which would have to cause me to take matters into my own paws."

"Is that a threat?" I asked bewildered.

"No Winston, it is a promise." He assured me.

"Well how do I know that you haven't just gone and taken her. A ransom would do you well to get the valley." I accused.

"That's absurd, you know that's not my style Winston." He defended.

"My wolf Candu would beg to differ." I said gesturing over to Candu.

Tony looked at the ground and thought for a second. "It seems that our trust isn't the best at the moment. So I'll tell you what, I'll send my son Garth over to your pack, and under your supervision will help with the investigation to help find your daughter."

I was going to say something in opposition , but I stopped myself to think about it. That actually wasn't a bad idea. If he did take my daughter than it would be unlikely he would willingly give up his son to us. Unless Tony was just trying to raise my trust in him.

"Fine." I agreed. "But on one condition. I want my wolf Ryan to go over to your pack. And if he doesn't return by thr full moon then I will be forced to assume you have taken my daughter and imprisoned my wolf. And you wouldn't like the consequences for that."

Tony thought for a second. Hopefully he would take this deal because I needed Ryan to get access to their pack.

"Fine, it's a deal. By the full moon we will bring your wolf back and you will return my son. Both will be unharmed." Tony said.

"Agreed." We shook paws and that was that. I quickly turned to Ryan to gave a quick word with him.

"If you find any evidence that my daughter is anywhere in that pack, I want you to come back as quickly as you can. If I find out he took my daughter he won't survive long enough to see the end of the month."

He nodded his head. He knew his mission and I knew that he could fulfill it. He was one of the best alphas in our pack, and even though he has a history of violence he's still the best wolf for the job.

So I sent Ryan over, and at the same time Garth came over to us. When the exchange was over, Tony and myself looked at each other and nodded.

"One last thing Winston. If Kate and Garth don't get mated the day after the full moon, there will be war." He growled. With that he and his wolves left, along with Ryan.

I turned back towards our pack and started to walk back, followed by my other wolves and Garth. I called Garth up to me and he trotted up next to me.

"Yes sir?" He asked. I heard the nervousness in his voice.

"I just want you to know that if I find out you had anything to do with my daughters disappearance, I will have no problem handing you over to my wife. You've heard about her, haven't you?" I asked.

I looked over at him and saw him shaking. I couldn't help but smile. "I'll take that as a yes." I laughed.

I then sent him back to Hutch and the other two. "You three take our guest back to my den. Then explain to my mate why he's there. I have to go visit someone else." I told them.

I didn't wait for an answer and just left towards the den of the wolf I needed to talk to. Unfortunately, it was a little ways out from the pack. I never understood why Humphtey would pick a den so far away from the rest of the pack. I guess he just enjoyed his privacy.

I approached his den and called into it but there was no answer. I called out again just in case he was asleep but there wasn't a sound. I went into the den and found that no one was there. I scented around the den to see if I could find out when he left but it seems he hadn't been here for quite some time.

"This is very strange." I thought to myself as I exited the den. Humphrey usually wasn't gone very long from his den. Then again, he might of just stayed the night with one of his friends.

Right as I thought that, three wolves came crashing through a bush that was next to me. 'Speak of the devil.' I told myself.

"You three." I called to them. They looked over at me and immediately stood up at attention.

"Yes sir?" They asked.

"Have any of you seen Humphrey at all today?" I asked them.

They all shook their heads. "Nope, haven't seen him since last night at the howl. Last we saw he was by the stream at the bottom of howling rock." The one I knew as Salty said.

I nodded. "Thank you, that's all I need from you. Carry on with whatever you were doing." I told them as I turned and started walking

So now I have two missing wolves on my paws. This was giving me a headache. We haven't had this much of a problem for years, and now everything just seems to be going to hell.

As I was walking, two other wolves that I sent on search came up to me.

"Please tell me you have something."

"We think we found where your daughter last was." One of them said.

"Take me there now." I immediately demanded.

They nodded and we took off in the direction of howling rock. This made sence. This is where both Humphrey and Kate were last seen.

We ran to where the stream was and stopped. This is where they found the scent. I started smelling around and Kate was definitely here. There was also traces of Humphrey. But it didn't really lead anywhere. It stopped here. I smelled around some more and that's when I caught the scent of something else. My eyes became wide, I couldn't mistake that smell for anything. Humans had been here.

And where there are humans there is trouble. This is not good. Two wolves gone and humans have been around. They could be dead for all I knew. Tears came to my eyes just thinking about losing my daughter. And Humphrey was like the son I never had.

I had to tell Eve about this, she had to know. I would also have to try and convince Tony to postpone the wedding because I have no idea how long it will take until we find out what has truely happened to them. And pray to Lupa that they aren't dead.


	4. Learning the Land

**Kate**

I finally got it right where I wanted it. After about an hour of tracking and stalking, I was finally within striking distince of the deer. I looked up at it from the tall grass, watching as it grazed on the vegetation around it. My heart beat increased with every step I took towards it. If I got this thing, then it would be my first successful hunt out of Alpha school. I would have been successful in my first hunt if it weren't for those damn Eastern wolves. Which, I guess, is another reason I have to unite the packs. Finally be done with all the fighting over territory and food. We can just be at peace.

I refocused back on the deer. It was a decent sized buck. It was old too, and looks like he's had a few injuries. This should be very easy. I inched forward just a little more until I was only five feet away from him. Perfect spot to strike. I kept myself low to the ground and kept my breathing quiet. Remembering everything that I was taught throughout alpha school. Now I just needed to wait until he exposed his neck, that's when I would strike.

I stood there for about ten minutes, waiting for the damn thing to pick up his head. Luckily, I was trained to stay in this position for a very, very long time. I would stay here as long as it took to catch this thing for dinner.

That's when it happened. He lifted his head up and looked at something behind me, and that's when I struck. I lunged out of the grass, releasing a feral snarl, and clamped my mouth around the deers neck. I bit down as hard as I could. I started to taste the blood leak into my mouth.

All this time the deer was lashing it's neck around trying to shake me off but that was not going to happen. I wasn't going to fail another hunt, especially when it was an easy target.

Relief came over me when I started to feal the deer stop fighting. It staggered around for a second before finally giving into the inevitable, and dropping down to the ground. I released my mouth from his throat with a huge grin on my face. This was my first ever successful hunt, and I did it all by myself. I wish my dad could have been here, he would have been proud.

I stepped up on the deer and released a howl of victory. I was overwhelmed with joy. I couldn't wait to go back and tell Humphrey. I knew he'd be happy for me.

I grabbed the deer and started to drag it back towards the den we were staying in. At least I think this was the way back. I wasn't really to familiar with this place so I just had to back track as best as possible. Hopefully I would be able to catch onto a familiar scent. But I'm pretty sure I was going in the right direction.

As I was dragging this beast, my mind wondered and started thinking of what was happening back in the pack. My parents were probably freaking out right now. I was all the way down in Idaho and they had no idea. For all they know, I could be dead. I needed to somehow get to them and tell them I was fine but I had no idea how I was going to do that.

I couldn't just leave, and in all honesty I didn't want to. I know I have a responsibility to the pack but I don't want to go back to that Garth wolf. I'm pretty sure he's a good wolf but he definitely has a giant ego, seems to be very self centered, and don't even get me started on his howl. I didn't want to go back to having to marry that. I know I would have to eventually but as of right now I would enjoy not being with him.

I became so distracted with my thoughts, that I didn't pay attention to where I was going and ended up walking into a wall. I looked around and saw that the den was about thirty feet away from me, talk about luck. I dragged the deer over, and into the den. I placed it in the middle of the den. I looked over in the direction of Humphrey expecting for him to be up and waiting for me to get back. Buy I was met with disappointment as I saw that he was still out cold.

I sighed and lied down next to the carcass of the deer and started to dig in. As I did this I looked over at Humphrey. It would suck being him right now. He wasn't going to be able to walk for quite some time. And knowing him, this would cause him to get bored very quickly. I guess I would just have to keep him company and entertain him.

My thoughts turned to when Humphrey and I were younger, before I left to Alpha school, before all the responsibility. Him and I had a great connection, and who would have thought that the two of us would have become best friends. We came from different walks of life. I was born into power while Humphrey was adopted into the pack. It was unlikely that the two of us would ever meet, let alone become friends but it happened.

I do miss those days. When we would just go out and have a ton of fun with each other. I really enjoyed our talks we would have. For an omega pup, Humphrey was really knowledgeable of many things. He was also a big sweetheart. He seemed to always know how to make me feel nice and warm inside. Always making me smile, and laugh, and occasionally blush. He just had that effect on me.

A thought ran through my head as I recalled all these memories. Humphrey just seemed to be perfect. If he wasn't an omega, and if I wasn't already promised to someone else, I would honestly highly consider Humphrey for a mate.

Unfortunately, he was an omega and that was aginst pack law. Plus I had a duty to my pack. I was going to marry Garth so I could unite the packs and bring peace to us. I stopped myself there. Was I really going to go through with that. I was going to have to throw away my whole life. Of course it's my happiness or the death of a whole pack and more.

I shook my head. I needed to clear my head of these stressing thoughts. I guess I should try going around and getting familiar with the place. I was going to be here awhile so it would be good to know my surroundings.

So I got up and exited the den. I didn't know where I was going anyway so I just picked a random direction and started walking. As I walked I took in my surroundings trying to familiarize myself with everything. That's a thing we learned in Alpha school. Its just so that we won't ever be caught of guard, and to have the upper paw in certain situations.

Now that I was actually looking around I realized how beautiful this place actually was. It had a lot more color and vegetation than Jasper. It was nice to see a change of scenery from there. I mean I've lived there my entire life, I basically know where everything is in that place. Seeing something new gave me a sence of excitement.

I entered a small clearing and looked around as I walked through it. That's when I heard some rustling in the bushes off to my right. I flipped over and faced the bush.

"Who's there." I demanded. Of course there wasn't an answer, that never works.

I slowly approached the bush with caution. It was probably just a rabbit or something but I had to make sure it wasn't a threat. There was another rustle. "I know you're in there." I growled. Still, there was nothing.

I was about to go into thr bush when all of a sudden something jumped out of the bush and yelled, "hello!"

I screamed and jumped back in shock. I quickly composed myself and looked back at the bush. What I saw really confused me. It was just a pup!

"What the... what are you doing here?" I asked the pup.

"Just hanging out. What are you doing here? I've never seen you around." He said.

"I was brought here. Are you here alone."

"Of course not, I'm here with my family." The pup told me, now walking out of the bushes.

There are more wolves around? This could be bad. Humphrey and I are in their territory. If they found out, they could go hostile on us. I couldn't take any chances with that.

"Look pup..."

"The names Kyle, not pup." He said hotly.

"Ok, Sorry. Look Kyle, you can't tell anyone from your pack that you saw me." I told him.

"Well, we're not really a pack. Just my family and I. And they already know you're here. You did howl earlier." He pointed out.

I mentally slapped myself, how could I have been so stupid. During the hunt I let out a victory howl, letting anyone within a couple of miles hear me. Of course I was told that no one lived here. I would have to have a talk with those two birds later.

"Whatever, just don't tell them that you saw or spoke with me. Please." I asked of him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're really weird, by the way." He laughed as he walked away.

What a strange pup. I just hope that he would keep his promise with me. I didn't want to be hunted down by a bunch of unknown wolves. Of course it is a pup so I couldn't rely on him keeping his mouth shut. I just hope that if he does blab about us, that the wolves are friendly.

I better be getting back to Humphrey right now. Now that I know that we're not alone out here, I don't want to leave Humphrey alone for too long.


	5. Pain

**Humphrey**

My eyes started to flutter open as I groaned in agony from all the pain I was feeling. All over my body I felt like I was broken but the thing that hurt most was my leg. My head was also pounding from the enormous head ache I had. I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my head. I was feeling so much pain right now.

Maybe if I got up I could walk the pain off, you know stretch out my soar muscles. But my attempt on trying to get up was a huge failure. I yelped as a surge of pain shot through my leg. I tightly closed my eyes as tears filled them. I seethed, trying to contain myself from screaming.

After I finally got over the torturing agony I felt, I looked down at my leg and became confused. It was all wrapped up and had two sticks tyed to it. What the hell happened. I don't really remember anything after Kate and I ran as fast and as far away from those humans as we could possibly get. After that it was all just a blur to me.

Obviously something bad happened to me or else I wouldn't be in this much pain or with this splint on my leg. I don't even want to know why I'm in a strange den.

I looked around to investigate but my eyes stopped when I saw something that looked delicious. A deer lyed right in front of me, just waiting to be eaten. As I looked at it, my stomach growled in hunger. Geez, I felt like I hadn't eaten in days.

Kate must have gotten this and brought it back for me which was really nice of her. I decided that I couldn't just look at it any longer, and began to dig in. As I ate, I realized that this would be Kates first kill in a hunt. I would have to congratulate her when I saw her again.

It only took me a few minutes before I stuffed myself full of deer meat. It was great to actually be able to eat something besides scraps and bones. Since I was an omega, I was forced to have to eat after all the Alphas, and they didn't care how much food us omegas got. So being able to eat all the good meat was fantastic.

Unfortunately, it didn't take any of my pain away. Not that I expected it to anyway. Where the hell was Kate when I needed her. She was probably out looking for a way to get home, though I don't know how well that would work in my current condition.

I sighed, knowing that now I was just going to be a pest to Kate. I didn't want her to see me as a problem. But there was nothing I could do with this dumb broken leg.

Maybe if I just tried to get up and walk around a little then I would be able to get back home with Kate quicker. Of course, I have no idea where I even am. We could be hundreds of miles away from Jasper for all we knew. All the more reason to try and start walking like this.

I took a deep breath before pushing myself up with only my three good legs. I kept my broken leg just above the ground. I didn't want a repeat of a couple minutes ago. So far so good. I pushed forward with my back legs and caught myself with my one good paw, causing me to nearly fall face first into the ground. This was going to take some getting used to.

Slowly but surely I made my way out of the den. Then I walked a little bit through the forest, until I had walking on three legs almost down. It was awkward only being able to walk on three legs, but after awhile I got used to it, kind of.

My entire focus was on trying not to fall face first into thr ground. So much so that I hadn't even noticed anyone walk up next to me. It took me awhile before I felt another presence next to me. I looked back over my shoulder but saw no one. Then I heard a stick break below me, and I looked down to see a pup.

I cock my head in confusin. Where the heck did he come from?

"Hey there little guy, what are you doing?" I asked in a calm voice so I didn't scare him off.

"Well I saw you walking and you looked like you were enjoying yourself. So I thought I would join you." He said.

"OKay then, I guess it's good to have company." I smiled at him.

So I let this pup follow me around as I practiced walking on three legs. It was kind of weird that he just appeared out of nowhere like that. Its been more weird that he's out here all alone.

"So, you have anyone out here with you?" I asked him.

"At the moment, no. But my family doesn't live to far from here." He told me. I nodded, there were other wolves around. I would have to be cautious about that. Its not like they'd attack a crippled wolf anyway, right?

"What's that thing on your leg?" He asked.

"Oh this old thing, it's called a splint. I broke my leg and I guess my friend put it on me while I was passed out." I told him.

"Owww, that must hurt." He said while making a pained face.

I chuckled,"Yah, just a little bit." I said.

"Is your friend a shewolf?" He asked out of the blue.

I looked at him with interest. "Yah, why?"

"Oh, I met her not to long ago. She's kind of weird." He told me.

I laughed, he did have something there. Kate was definitely weird.

"Whats your name anyway?" I asked.

"That's none of your business." I heard someone growl from behind me.

My ears flattened and my face and body sunk. I slowly turned around to face a gray wolf looking very unhappy.

"Kyle, get over here. You know how I feel about you talking to strangers." He scolded the pup.

"Oh dad, he's no harm to anyone. He's really nice." Kyle defended.

"Quiet." The dad growled. But Kyle didn't seemed fazed, he just rolled his eyes. I was liking this pup more and more.

"What are you doing here." He growled at me.

I shrugged, "Beats me, one moment I'm in my pack, next I'm getting released here then I wake up with pain all over my body." I explained.

After I explained all that to him, he seemed to become less hostile. "I see... I'm sorry for coming on a little hostile. We don't usually have any visitors around here, and I have to keep my son safe. You understand."

"Yah, it's no problem. Anyway, Kyle seems like he can take care of himself." I chuckled.

He returned the laugh. "Yah he seems to think so."

"Well I better be getting back. My friends probably looking for me." I told him.

"Friend?" He questioned.

"Yah, we got brought here together." I told him.

"I see. Well goodbye." He said turning around.

I turned around too and took a step forward, only to misstep and slip onto my broken leg. Immediately I howled in pain and crashed to the ground, which caused only more pain.

"Son of a..." I held myself from swearing so that the pup didn't hear me.

I heard a rushing of paw steps coming over to me. "Are you ok?" The older wolf asked.

"No, not really." I seethed.

"Here, mind if I take a look at you?" He asked. I nodded my head.

He began feeling all over my body causing me to wince and moan in pain with every touch. Whatever happened to me really took its toll.

"This isn't good." He whispered to himself.

"What? What is it?" I questioned.

"This leg isn't the only thing that's broken. It seems that you also have a few broken ribs as well. And you are just bruised to hell." He told me.

"That's not good." I said plainly.

This wasn't good at all. Broken ribs would explain the immense pains in my chest with every step I took. And broken ribs could mean so much more bad things.

"Its like you just jumped off a cliff or something." He said.

"Doubt that, I mean for what reason would I ever do that?" I asked.

"I'm going to have to take you back to my den. My mate and her father are great healers. They'll know how to fix you up and hopefully take away some of the pain." He told me.

It sounded like a good idea because I wanted, no needed, this pain to go away. But Kate would be extremely worried.

"And don't worry, I'll send someone down to tell your friend where you are." He told me like he was reading my mind.

"Now come on, get up on my back." He said while getting under me and picking me up.

"Thank you. By the way, I never got your name." I pointed out.

"Oh, it's Kdin."

"Thanks Kdin. And my names Humphrey. " I told him.

"Its no problem." Kdin told me.

"Is Mr. Humphrey going to be staying the night with us?" Kyle asked his dad.

"Most likely." Kdin said.

Kyle started yipping in joy. "Yay, I really like him. He's great."

I laughed a little. He thinks Kate is weird and he seems to think of me as a friend he's known for awhile. Speaking of Kate, I just hope that she isn't to worried when she finds me gone.


	6. Lilly

**Lilly**

This past day so far really hasn't been doing me any favors. First of all, Kate and I go to the howl and meet the most gorgeous wolf I have ever gotten the pleasure of seeing. He just looked so dreamy, muscular, and handsome. Of course I knew I would never be able to do anything with him for two reasons. The obvious being that I'm an omega and he's an alpha. Then theres the fact that Garth and Kate will be marrying soon. Damn this stupid social pyramid. Its just no fair.

Omegas always get the short end of the stick, no matter what it is. Food, protection, shelter, all of that stuff is given to omegas after all the Alphas get what they want. Though, I can't really complain as much as the others, being one of the daughters of the pack leaders. But I hear complaints all the time from omega wolves who are to scared to say anything in fear that something will happen to them. And I can't blame them.

My dad might be a fair and nice wolf but he goes by tradition. Omegas have always been treated like this. I highly doubted that he would be the one to change all the rules, especially since he was about to unite the packs with Tony. Now compared to Tony, my dad was pretty lenient on the rules. From what I have heard about his pack is that omegas don't even have a den to sleep in. And in winter they get one den for all of them. And he runs his pack like a dictator. He has some of the strictest rules I've ever heard of. I'm glad I don't live over there.

Aside from being bummed about my social status, right now the two of my most favorite wolves are missing. Kate and Humphrey never came home from the howl last night. And just from what I've heard around the pack, it sounds like they were taken by humans. After hearing about that my emotions got the better of me, and I took off to try and find some peace.

I don't know why I lost myself like that. I mean it is very sad that the two are gone but to break down in public was really embarrassing. I guess it's better to overreact to something rather than not reacting at all. I guess I get it, those two are my best friends in the whole world. I grew up with the both of them, and they were the only two I hung out with.

I wasn't a social wolf at all in my younger years. I did my best to stay out of other wolves ways. I hated talking to wolves I didn't know. The only reason I got to know Humphrey so well, was because he was around Kate all the time. Before Humphrey, Kate was the only one I had to be able to talk to, besides my mom and dad. Then when Humphrey did come along, I had some of the greatest times of my life. When it was just the three of us it felt like we could do anything.

I'm still a bit antisocial but I'm getting better with it. I've made a couple of friends in Kates absence to Alpha school. Of course they were introduced to me by Humphrey but I still saw Salty, Shaky and Mooch as great friends. Then I was able to make some of my own friends, some she-wolf friends. I can't only have guy friends. It was difficult but slowly I was putting myself out there. Not that it was hard since wolves knew who I was, I just had no idea who they were. And talking isn't my strong suit.

Anyway, if it wasnt for Humphrey and Kate, I would have been a very lonely wolf as a pup. Fourtunetly I had them in my life.

I've been absent from the rest of the pack for most of the day to try and get my mind off things, yet everything seemed to draw my thoughts back towards Humphrey and Kate. At least the two had each other. I giggled at the thought of them being alone together, considering they were together, or alive. It was always amusing seeing them interact and neither of them knowing how much the other loved them. It was easy for me to tell that they had feeling for each other, but they were blind to it. I guess that's a good thing because once again the stupid social classes would just tear them apart.

Unfortunately, I could only be alone with my thoughts for so long. The day started to come to a close and I knew I should get home before dark. I didn't want to worry my parents more than they already were.

As I walked the path towards my den, I could feel the eyes of every wolf I passed on me. It didn't take much of a genius to know what they were thinking. They were pitying me because in their minds they thought the two of them were never going to be seen again. And the loss of someone close to you is heart shattering, especially if it's two.

Humphrey and Kate weren't the first ones to dissappear because of humans. It actually happens at least once or twice every five years or so according to my dad. It was just unfortunate for it to be Kate and Humphrey. So I get were wolves are coming from, because the ones that have been taken, they've never returned.

But I knew Kate. She would be determined in finding a way to get back, especially since she had a duty to unite the packs. That would be her drive on getting back here.

I made my way up the slope that led to my den. But I stopped when I got to the entrance. There were my parents were they usually sat but then there was a wolf I didn't think I'd see again for awhile. Garth sat a little ways away from mom and dad looking kind of bored.

Mom and dad turned towards me when they heard me come into the den. They smiled once they saw me.

"Hello sweetie, how have you been doing." My mom said soothingly. She knew I had been having a hard time with this so I was happy to hear her voice her concern for me.

"I'm ok, for the most part." I said softly. I would have talked more clearly if Garth hadn't been here. He was making me a little shy and nervous. My parents knew this and chuckled a bit making me blush.

"I'm guessing you remember Garth, Lilly." My dad said. I just did a little nod.

"I remember you. You were there at the howl." Garth said. Again, I just nodded.

"Well its good to see you again." Garth commented.

"Thanks." I replied.

I looked over to my parents and just by their smiles I could tell they were up to something.

"Garth, you're going to be here for a couple of days, right?" Mom asked.

"Yes ma'am, that was the deal." Garth said.

"Good, I think you and Lilly should get to know each other better since you're going to be in-laws soon. Lilly can take you around the pack." She told us.

Hearing this made my heart skip a beat. I looked over at her like she was crazy but she just smiled at me.

"Sure, sounds good to me." Garth said.

"Great! But remember, if I hear that you do anything to my daughter, I will personally rip you limb from limb and scatter you all across Jasper then laugh as I watch your daddy pick up your remains." She growled ferociously.

Garth quickly backed up away from her, causing him to hit his head on a lower part of the den. While dad and I stared bewildered at her. She seriously has a way with threats that just sends a shiver up your spine.

Then she just returned to her normal loving self. "Now that we have that all clear, let's get some sleep. Its been a very long day." She said as she and dad made there way to the back of the den.

I couldn't argue with her there and I made my way over to my little spot and curled up into a ball. The last thing I thought of was spending the whole day with Garth tomorrow. Just thinking about it caused me to nearly have a nervous breakdown. I just hope I don't embarrass myself in front of him.

With those thoughts on my mind I fell to sleep hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.


	7. Panic

**Kate**

'Where is he, where is he, where is he?" I panicked as I looked into the den, only to find that Humphrey was missing.

I mean it's not like he could have gotten far, right? With that leg he shouldn't be walking at all. Why would he just get up and walk off? Unless of course he didn't just walk off. What if he was taken by those other wolves. They could have him right now and be doing Lupas knows what to him.

But I didn't catch the scent of anything, or anyone else in here. So they couldn't have taken him, at least not from here. I wanted to go out and follow his scent but I had no idea if I would be able to find my way back. The darkness of night would cause it to be difficult to get back. But if I wouldn't be able to find my way back, then Humphrey would definitely get lost out there. I needed to go out and look for him.

I sprinted out of the den into the darkness of night following the trail of Humphrey's scent. As I continued to run, I became amazed at how far Humphrey had gotten. But why was he even going out this far, he didn't have any reason to. He had food, you don't need to come out this far to go to the bathroom, and if he wanted to find me, he would have gone in the entirely opposite direction.

Something was definitely wrong and I needed to find Humphrey before he gets hurt, or worse.

I suddenly slid to a stop when a familiar scent hit my nose, and it wasn't Humphrey's. I sniffed around trying to make out the scent as best I could. That's when it came to me, it was that pup. He was here with Humphrey, and from the smell of it, they weren't alone.

Ohh, if that pup had anything to do with this I would have to teach him a little lesson. I didn't care if he was a pup or not. He would be second on my list right after the wolf who took him.

"Figured you'd get here eventually." A voice from behind me said.

I flipped around and immediately went into a defensive stance. I bared my teeth and growled at him.

"Whoa, no need to go all hostile." The wolf said.

"Where is he, what have you done with him?" I demanded.

"Humphrey is just fine, well not 'fine', but we haven't done anything to him." He assured me. But I couldn't take any chances with him, he could be lying.

"How do I know you're telling the truth and not just telling me what I want to hear?" I asked.

He sighed,"Look, your friend is not doing very well. He has a broken leg, and a couple of broken ribs. Not to mention all the bruises he has all over his body. He's in immense pain. My mate and her dad are very good with this kind of stuff. They can have him feeling better very soon. But I think it would be better if you are there with him. Seeing someone familiar in an unfamiliar place may make him calmer. Please, just come with me." He insisted.

I was hesitant. He could be lying, this could all just be a trick. But then again, he could be telling the truth and Humphrey might actually be hurting. I couldn't risk it, if Humphrey needed me I have to be there.

"Take me to him, please." I ask of him.

He smiled and nodded. "Right this way Kate." He said then running off.

I stood there in shock for a second but soon shook it off and quickly caught up with him. When I got up next to him I got to see what he actually looked like. He was a little shorter than most, and kind of stocky. His fur was a dark grey and I couldn't tell what his eyes looked like.

"How did you know my name?" I asked him.

"Humphrey told me when I took him back to my den. He's a really nice wolf, my son really likes him." He explained.

"And your son is Kyle?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. He told me he met you earlier. Said you were weird and no fun." He chuckled.

I guess I was kind of rude to Kyle when I met him. I was just stressed about Humphrey and all the pack stuff, I didn't really care how I treated the pup. Which now makes me feel kind of bad.

"You know my name so it would only be fair if I knew yours." I pointed out to him.

"I'm Kdin." He told me.

"Well its nice to meet you Kdin." I said.

"The feelings mutual." He replied.

It was only seconds later that a den came into sight. The scent of Humphrey became immediately stronger and I knew we had reached our destination.

We slowed down a bit so that by the time we entered the den we were walking. When I got in, I saw Humphrey lying on the ground with two wolves crowding him. My guess is they are Kdin's mate and father in-law.

They didn't even seem to notice that we were in the den. All their attention was focused on Humphrey, which made me happy. Instantly I knew that Humphrey was in good paws.

I looked down at his broken leg and noticed that the splint I had put on was no longer there, but was replaced with another one. I guess it just wasn't god enough for their preferences. Not that I cared, I was never good in first aid anyway. I'm just glad that Humphrey had these wolves looking after him.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Humphrey's head lift up and look at me. I met his gaze and he put on a goofy smile.

"Hey Kate, how long have you been here." He slurred out.

I looked at him quizzically, was he drunk?

"Sorry about his talking, he's on all kinds of herbs to take his mind away from the pain." The shewolf spoke to me.

"And I feel fantastic." Humphrey said with emphasis on 'fantastic'. It made me giggled to hear him talk like this.

"So is he going to be ok?" I asked.

"Fortunately, he will be. The ribs didn't pierce into anything vital. His leg should also be fine. It'll take about anywhere from four to six weeks to fully heal." The older wolf said.

"Hear that Kate, the doc says I'm going to be just fine." Humphrey laughed out.

"How long will he be like this?" I giggled.

"He should fall asleep soon and then he'll be back to normal in the morning." The shewolf told me.

"Thank you, a lot. I don't know what we would've done without you guys." I said.

"Its not a problem. We were just doing what any good wolf would do." The older wolf said.

"I would really like to know the names of the wolves who helped my friend." I told them.

"Of course, where are my manners? My name is Cecil, and this is my daughter Stacy. You know Kdin, And from what I've heard, you've already met Kyle." He smiled.

I nodded. "He seems to like to talk to strangers." I pointed out.

"I know, we just can't stop him from it. Fourtunetly, all the wolves that pass through are friendly and haven't harmed him." Stacy said while shaking her head.

"Speaking of Kyle, I should go and make sure he's actually asleep." Kdin said. He told us goodnight and he left.

"I should follow him just in case. Kyle can be such a paw full." She chuckled and went after him.

That just left me and Cecil. Humphrey passed out alarmingly fast but Cecil didn't panic, so I guessed that he was fine.

"I was going to talk with you tonight, Kate. But you seem tired, and I can't blame you. From what Humphrey told us you've had quite the day. So get some sleep, but tomorrow we have things to discuss." He told me. It was friendly yet stern.

I nodded my head. "Of course sir." I said showing my respect for the older wolf.

He smiled. "Good. Now have a good night." He said as he, too, exited the den.

Its only when he left that I realized how tired I actually was. My body was stiff and soar from the day, and my eyes drooped. I let out a big yawn and decided I'd do what Cecil said and get some sleep. I just wondered what he wanted to talk to me about. Probably just some rules about being in his territory. I could understand that.

With that on my mind I drifted into a much needed sleep.

 **So far so good with this story. I'm having a wonderful time writing this. I haven't written new chapters this fast forever. Usually it takes me weeks! Fortunately I'm updating every couple days or so.**

 **Thanks for reading. Please leave a review, I want to know what you think. I want to know what you like or don't like and what you think I need to improve on. Again thank you for reading.**

 **Peace Out.**


	8. Lillys Little Tour

Lilly

Morning came faster than I would have liked it too. I was having a wonderful dream about when I was a little pup with Kate and Humphrey. We were just doing what we had done when we were that age, playing our little hearts out until the sunset. It made me feel happy, and warm inside to be able to expirience this once more, even if it was only a dream. Unfortunately, the dream ended when I felt myself getting shooken awake.

"Lilly, Lilly. Come on wake up" I heard someone whisper to me.

I groaned a little bit, it was too early to be waking up. But whoever was trying to wake me up was determined, and eventually I gave in. I opened my eyes only two be greeted with gorgeous emerald green eyes staring down at me. I zoned out a little, fixated on those beautiful eyes. That's when Garth cleared his throat, gaining my attention.

"You ok?" He asked with a chuckle. I blushed a little and broke eye contact with him.

"Yah, sorry. I blanked out there for a second. I'm not used to getting up this early." I told him. Which wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the reason I was staring at him.

"Sorry about waking you up so early. I just thought we should get an early start on the day. I heard that this side of Jasper is huge." He exclaimed.

The Western part of Jasper is pretty large. The second largest right after the north then it's the south, and the east is the smallest, territory wise. The population of the packs is unknown to me and I didn't even have a guess for any of them, not even ours.

"Sounds good to me. I guess I'll start by showing you all the main parts of the pack." I told him.

He nodded in agreement. "Lead the way." He said, making a gesture with his paw out of the den.

We made our way down the slope and I told him that this was where the eating grounds where. Even though it wasn't that hard to figure out on your own.

I then took him to where most everyone lives. "These are all of the residential dens. Usually this is where wolves end up living. Of course there are the occasional ones who tend to move a little ways away from everyone else. My friend, Humphrey, is one of those wolves." I explained to him.

"Humphrey? Isn't he that wolf from the howl, the one that decided to drop in, literally?" He asked as we started to move on.

I chuckled. "Yah, that's him alright. But trust me, he really is a good wolf. He was just bwing silly." I told him.

"Sure not good with first impressions." He scoffed.

"I'll tell you why he was like that around you. Its because you are a wolf he doesn't know who was talking to Kate." I said.

"What does Kate have to do with this?" He questioned.

I was going to tell him but I stopped myself. Should I really be telling this stranger all these personal things about my best friend. I guess I could word it a little bit different so I don't reveal the whole truth to Garth.

"Well you see, Humphrey isn't really from around here." I started. This seemed to intrigue Garth.

"Really? That's interesting." He stated.

"Yah, he says he doesn't really know much about his past before he came here. He told us that his first clear memory is when he stumbled upon Kate when he was about a month and a half old. He says everything before that is kind of a blur."

"That still dosn't explain why he was so rude." Garth complained.

"Im getting to that." I barked making him go quiet. It took me a second to realize what I did. I basically told some one to shut up. I'd never done that before. It kind of felt good.

"Anyway, Kate was Humphrey's first real memory and his first friend. They did everything together and they grew really close. So Humphrey just gets nosey when Kate meets knew people. He just doesn't want to see her get hurt." I explained. Most of what I said was true. Except I left out the part about him being in love with her, and the real reason why he was so rude to Garth was because he was jealous. Of course he would never admit to thus but I knew it was true.

"Wow, he does sound like a good friend." Garth commented. Hearing this put a smile on my face. Humphrey really was a great wolf, and he seems to not see that for some reason.

"He really is." I agreed.

"You seem to know him well too, and you speak highly of him. Are you two, you know..." He inferred.

I made a sickened face. "What? No! He and I are strictly friends. It would just be really weird of any feelings like that came up." I told him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say." This caused me to roll my eyes. I decided to drop the subject, and just in time.

At that moment we got to probably my most favorite place to go in the territory. I always came here when I just wanted to be alone. Its where I came yesterday after I heard the news about Humphrey and Kate.

"Where are we." I heard Garth say in awe.

"Its called rabbit poo mountain." I told him. It might be a nice place to go but the name made it a little less nice.

"Why do they call it that?" He asked, losing a little intrest.

I decided that I would joke with him a little. "Because it's where rabbits poo."

"What? Ew ew ew." He said while hoping over to a rock.

I laughed at his reaction. "I was only kidding."

"Oh ha ha, very funny." He said with sarcasm. I only giggled.

"So why are we here anyway?" He asked.

I shrugged, "You wanted to see Jasper, and this is just one of my favorite places. Besides the name, of course."

"I can see why you like it, it's such a beatiful place. Its a shame that they don't call it something better to suit it's beauty. I would rename it Lilly hill." He commented.

I whipped my head around and looked at him, shocked. I was blushing hard. Did he really actually just say that. It seems that even he had no idea what he said because he, too, looked shocked at what he said.

"So yah, you were showing me around. Let's get going again shall we." He rambled while speed walking away.

I caught up with him but we didn't speak. A feeling of awkwardness fell on us and neither one of us wanted to speak to the other. Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered that he called me beautiful but it's just the alpha and omega thing. Its alright if you call a friend beautiful but this sounded like he was flirting with me. And to be honest, I kind of liked it. But it's wrong and aginst pack law, so I decided that I should just ignore it.

After walking for awhile we stumbled into a small clearing. Garth lightly elbowed me. I looked toward him to see him looking at me with a smile.

"Sorry about earlier. I kind of stepped out of line back there a little." He apologized.

"Its fine, really. If it means anything, thank you. It was kind of sweet." I told him.

"Well I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true." He said with a wink.

I giggled, "Your mother sure raised a gentlewolf."

Almost instantaneously after I said that, I felt the mood change. It seemed everything got darker and gloomy. Garth flattened his ears to his head and turned his head around. I could hear muffled sobs. What did I just do?

"Garth, are you ok? Was it something I said." I asked, scared that I had done something to hurt him.

"I'm fine. You didn't know." He chocked out.

Seeing him like this brought tears to my own eyes. I hated seeing people sad like this, I absolutely despised it. That's why I try and make everyone else happy, hence the reason I'm an omega.

"I'm sorry if I said anything to hurt you. I didn't meant to." I reassured him.

"I know, I know." He rasped, "Its just that I barley knew my mother before she passet away, and every time I hear about her I just lose control of my emotions."

I brought my paw up to my mouth, covering it. I was so stupid. If only I had known this I wouldn't have made the mistake of bringing her up. I needed to make up for it. So I did the one thing that I thought would work best in this moment, I went over to him and brought him into a big hug.

"I'm so sorry." I apologized.

He stiffened up at first but soon he accepted it, and even returned the hug back to me. In this moment I started to feel a little warm. What was this I was feeling, it was alien to me. But it was a good feeling. It made me happy and warm and comfortable. It felt weird.

After awhile, much to my disappointment, he pushed off of me. We looked into each other's eyes and I found myself lost in his teary emerald green eyes.

"Thank you Lilly, I really needed that." He said appreciatively.

"Now..." He started while wiping his eyes clear of tears. "How about we continue on that tour." He offered as he started walking off.

I sat there for a second and watched as he moved farther away. It gave me a pain in my heart, like I needed to be next to him. I felt as though I couldn't let him get to far from me. My heart pounded harder as I realized what was happening. I was falling for an Alpha.

 **Another chapter done. It seems Lilly is having some forbidden love going on in her heart. I wonder how this will play out.**

 **Please share with me what you think of this in the comments, I love knowing what you all think.**

 **Thanks for reading**

 **Peace Out**


	9. Unexpected

**Humphrey**

I woke up in a daze to the sound of wolves talking. What happened last night? The last thing I remember from last night is getting help from Kdin's wife. What was her name again? Right, it's Stacy. She's the one that gave me all those herbs. I'm guessing that's the reason why I have no recollection of anything after she gave me them. Not that I'm complaining, those things were awesome! I couldn't feel much of anything after she gave me all those pain killers.

Which, unfortunately, isn't the case this morning. The pain had settled back in and it was becoming unbearable again. I tried to shift around to get more comfortable only to receive a sharp pain to my chest, causing me to yelp a little.

"Humphrey, are you ok?" I heard Kate ask from the side of me.

"Yah, I just moved wrong." I seethed.

I tried to move around again, only to have the same thing happen to me again. I really need those pain killers.

"So I take it that you're hurting again." She stated.

"What was your first clue." I joked.

"Don't worry, Kdin, Kyle and Stacy should be back from the hunt any minute now. Then Stacy can give you some more of those herbs. I would but Stacy's just better with that stuff." Cecil said.

I nodded, I just hope that she would get here soon. I needed this pain gone again.

"Wait, isn't Kyle a little young to be hunting?" I asked, causing Cecil to smile.

"He just likes to go and watch the hunts. It intrigues him. You have no idea how much he can't wait to finally learn how to hunt." He chuckled. I could tell that Cecil was a really kind and loving wolf. I really liked him. He kind of reminds me of someone. I just couldn't figure out who.

"What were you guys talking about when I woke up?" I asked, trying to get my mind off the pain in my chest.

"I was just going over some rules that I need you both to follow while your staying here." Cecil explained.

"That makes sence, don't want to make any bad impressiona with breaking rules." I said.

"Exactly, though I don't think you'll be doing anything to bad in your current condition" Cecil pointed out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. He has his ways." Kate giggled.

I just rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I should still probably know these rules."

"I agree. They aren't to hard to follow anyway. No physical fights, no hunting alone, no eating fermented berries, and treat everyone that comes through here fairly and with kindness." Cecil listed.

That wouldn't be hard to follow at all, because I already follow all those things. I don't even hunt so that's a plus for me. Even if I did though, I wouldn't be able to now, like Cecil said.

"Now that that's all cleared up, why don't we talk about ourselves a little. Get to know each other. We are going to be seeing a lot of one another for the next couple of weeks." Cecil suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I always like talking about myslef." I replied with a little grin. I looked over at Kate to see her roll her eyes at me. Exactly what I wanted.

"Great, Humphrey why don't..."

"We're back." I heard Kyle announce as he pranced into the den with his parents closely behind. Bringing with them a caribou, causing me to drool a little from just the sight of it.

"I guess we'll share later" Cecil smiled.

Kdin and Stacy brought the caribou over and layed it down next to me then everyone else came over and began eating. Unfortunately for me, I could only take small bites because every time I would swallow it would bring pain to my chest.

"Looks like the herbs aren't in affect anyone." I heard Stacy comment.

I nodded while taking a bite of the carcass. "Yah, I'm not feeling the best right now." I said.

"Don't worry Mr. Humphrey, mom will take care of you." Kyle said cheerfully.

"You bet I will little man." Stacy said while coming over to me with some plant things.

"Now I'm not going to give you as strong a dose as I did yesterday but the pain will still be gone for awhile. The only difference is that you won't be high." She said with a little chuckle at the end.

She then started mixing some things together and fed it to me. "It's going to take a minute for it to take effect." She explained. I nodded my head and thanked her.

She returned back to Kdin and we spent the rest of our time eating in silence. That gave me time to think. I still never knew how I actually got all hurt like this. Kate definitely had to know what happened, I mean she was there. So why hasn't she told me yet? It probably just slipped her mind.

"Kate, I've been meaning to ask. How did I end up like this?" I asked, gesturing to myself.

Kate laughed nervously. "Oh yah, forgot to tell you what happened. I was being dumb and inpatient and thought that you could do something it took me months of training to do without hurting myslef. We had to get down a cliff so I jumped off and landed perfect, then you followed and this happened."

I nodded my head slowly. Now it was coming back to me. I jumped off to try and impress her. What good that did me.

"Well, what happened, happened and I'm not going to hold anything to yah. It was as much my fault." I admitted.

After that was all cleared up, Kdin moved the carcass out of the way and into the corner for later.

"Now we can continue with what we were going to do." Cecil said.

Kdin and Stacy looked over at him confused. "Continue what?" Stacy questioned.

"We were going to get to know each other better." He explained, causing the two to nod their heads.

"Let's start off with some questions, you can ask first." Cecil stated.

I thought of something that I may want to know about them. Nothing really popped into my mind, except for one thing. Before I could ask it, though, Kate asked her question.

"Are you the only wolves out here?"

Cecil shook his head. "Nope. There are six more wolves. One is my wife and the other five are another family. My wife and I became friends with the parents a long time ago and we've lived with each other since." Cecil explained.

"So where are they?" I asked.

"Oh, they said they wanted to go on a little vacation. I have no idea where they went but they should actually be back any day now. They left at least a week ago." Kdin said.

Now it was my turn. "How long have you guys been out here, alone?"

"Oh I've been here for years with my wife. We've just had the fortune of meeting some great wolves over the years. And this isn't the only place we stay. We have a lot of temporary dens across Canada and the states." Cecil said. He seemed to be happy replaying these memories in his head.

I was going to ask one more question, but Cecil insisted that it was our turn to answer there's. We agreed and they started asking things, the first one was kind of embarrassing.

"Are you two a thing?" Stacy asked, which apparently was on everyone's mind.

Kate and I both started stammering our words, taken back by the question. "No, no, no, no! We are definitely not a thing. We're just friends. Besides, he's an omega and I'm an alpha." Kate straightend out.

But our answer didn't seem to be good enough for them. Cecil and Stacy looked at each other with sad smiles and just shook their heads. What was that supposed to mean?

"Ok, off that topic. Next question, where are you guys from?" Cecil asked.

"We're from a pack up north in Canada. Its called Jasper." I told them. Everyone in the room looked shocked that I said that. They stared wide eyed at us. Kate and I looked at each other both wondering what was going on with them.

"Did you say Jasper?" Cecil asked softly.

I nodded my head. "Which pack?" He asked.

"The Western one." Kate said proudly.

Cecil lingered on this for awhile. Kyle, Kdin and Stacy looked at him like they were worried about something. It became silent and no one spoke a word. Kate and I continued to look at each other, freaking out about what we just said.

"I haven't heard of that name for many, many years." Cecil suddenly said.

"You know the place?" Kate asked.

He nodded slowly. "I used to live there." He commented. This shocked me. A wolf we just met and we find out he used to live in our pack.

"Tell me, do you know Winston?" He asked.

I looked over at Kate wondering what she was going to say. She looked like she didn't know what to say. "Uh, yah. He's my dad." Kate told him.

After she said that, everything seemed to go in slow motion. I could see the worry in Kdin and his family's eyes as Cecil slowly brought his head up. Something strange was going on here, and it made me very uncomfortable. That is until he put on a warm smile. Kdin and Stacy both sighed in relief.

"Ok, what the hell is going on here? How do yout know my father?" Kate said harshly.

Cecil just laughed. "I guess he never told you about me. Didn't think he would." He said a little sadly.

"Who are you?" Kate demanded.

Cecil chuckled, "I'm Winstons older brother, I'm your uncle, Kate."

 **Duh duh duh. Unexpected twist, my favorite things in the world. I bet you didn't see that coming, and if you think you did then you're lying to yourself.**

 **Thanks for reading and tell me what you thought about this chapter in the comments.**

 **Until next time comrades,**

 **Peace Out**


	10. Truths Revealed

**Kate**

I looked over towards Cecil with unbelief. Did I just hear him correctly? Did he just say that him and my dad were brothers, that he was my uncle. I looked over him, scanning some of his features. He was grey and he did show some similarities in appearance with my father, but this just didn't make any sence. Why would my dad keep this from me? Of course he could just be lying, and all of these things could be coincidental. But the chances of that are really slim.

I looked over at Humphrey to see that he was just as suprised as me. While the other three just sat back in silence. It seems that they've heard this story more than a few times while knowing him, and something tells me that it hurts to hear it every time.

"Why would my dad never tell me about you? He tells us everything." I demanded.

Cecil sighed. "Kate, I think it be best if we go for a walk while we talk about this." He suggested.

"Fine." I agreed. "Just as long as I get straight answers."

He nodded his head, "Of course. You do deserve to know."

He then got up and left the den, I was soon to follow right after I told Humphrey that I would be back soon. He nodded his head and told me to go.

I hurried my way out of the den and spotted him walking west at a slow pace. I hurried after him and soon we were side by side. Now was the time he was going to tell me what was going on, and I didn't even have to ask him.

"My brother and I, we used to be really close. He looked up to me like I was a hero. I basically had to raise him since our father and mother died when he was young." He explained to me. Which made even less sence. If they were so close, why did dad never even mention his name.

"What happened between you two?" I asked.

He let out a long sigh. "My brother always had an act for following so closely to the rules. He knew all of them, even at such young of an age." He told me.

"That explains nothing. Stop avoiding the question." I growled, growing impatient of his rambling.

"I'm not trying to avoid, I'm just trying to give you a better understanding. Anyway, we had sort of a falling out." He said.

"A falling out with my dad?" I questioned.

"Not necessarily him. I had a falling out with the pack."

I looked at him quizzically. What could he mean by that. "How did you have a falling out with the pack. Besides, wouldn't you have been the pack leader?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, I was to young. My father's beta was the leader and was meant to be until I reached the right age. But before I did, I broke a major pack law."

I looked over at him, astonished that a wolf like this would break pack law. A future leader of the pack, someone with so much to lose and he breaks a law? It just doesn't make any sence.

"Which law was it?" I asked.

He smiled. "I fell in love." He told me. Which didn't really ring any bells. Love wasn't against any rules, well unless...

"You don't mean..."

"I met her six months before I was supposed to take over the packs." He interrupted. "A beatiful young girl who stole my heart the minute I layed my eyes on her. First we just hung around each other, keeping it casual. But over time, something between us started to develop and it was undeniable that we were in love. The only thing is, she was an omega."

I couldn't belive what I was hearing. He fell in love with an omega! This was one of the biggest laws that can be broken and punishment for it is not pretty. But I didn't say anything, I let him continue on with his story.

"Carol and I had been seeing each other in secret for months. We knew everything about this was wrong but we didn't care. We loved each other more than anything and I was going to make sure we would be able to stay together. I was planning that when I became pack leader, I would dispan the law of alphas and omegas not being able to be together. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as I planned."

"I guess my sudden absences, and being away for a long time made Winston suspicious of my doings. So one night he followed me without my knowing. He caught me and Carol kissing and that was the beginning of the end. Like I said, Winston is a stickler for rules. So when he saw us together, he immediately reported it to the pack leader at the time."

"He put me in a private trial at first. He told me that since I was going to be the next pack leader he would offer me up a deal. He told me that if I deny my love for Carol, and she denies her love for me, then everything would be forgotten. Carol and I would never be able to see each other again."

"It seemed fair, but only to them. Winston begged that I do it, he said how he didn't want to lose me. He knew the punishment for breaking this law. It was banishment. I really loved my brother but I loved Carol even more. I chose not to dent my love for her. Next thing I knew we were put in a public trial. We were both found guilty and banished from the packs. We've been lone wonders ever sence."

He finished his story right as we got to the top of a small hill. He sat down and looked off towards the west. I couldn't believe that he had done that. He abandoned his family and pack for an omega wolf. He broke law and he didn't even seem to care.

"Do you miss him? My father I mean?" I asked him.

"Every time I think of him, it makes me wish I could see him one more time. To see how successful my little brother became." He said softly.

"Why don't you go back and see him?" I asked.

He laughed. "Banishment is a permanent thing, Kate. I can't just waltz on in to the pack expecting a warm welcome."

This was true. It saddened me to see him in so much distress about losing his brother because he loved someone he shouldn't have. Its like if Lilly and I were forced from each other. I would be devastated if I knew I could never see her again. I wonder if dad feels the same way towards Cecil.

"Maybe I can help a little." I said. He looked up, interested in what I had to say.

"I know most things about my dad. Maybe I can tell you some of the things you want to know." I proposed.

He thought about it a second then smiled,"I would love that." He said.

"Great, where do you want to start?" I asked.

"Who did he marry?" He asked.

"Eve, that's my mother." I told him.

He laughed at this. "He actually married Eve?"

"You knew her?"

"Everyone knew her. She had a reputation for having a bad temper. Man, he must of had some real balls to become mates with her." He said, laughing softly.

Yah, that definitely sounds like my mother. And I couldn't argue with him, I couldn't imagine trying to date her, much less marry her.

"Alright, next one. How many kids?"

"Only two. Myself and my younger sister, Lilly." I said to him.

"Is he a well liked leader?" He asked.

"He's known to be one of the better ones. Not perfect, but everyone likes him." I said with a proud smile. My dad is pretty cool.

He tried to think of a few more questions, but it seems he ran out.

"Most other questions I have are kind of personal. I could only ask them to Winston himself. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen." He said sadly.

I wanted to say something to cheer him up, maybe tell him that it could be possible one day to do this. But I didn't want to lie to him. The chances of him getting unbanished are really slim. It would almost be impossible.

"I think we should probably get back to the others now." I told him, getting up and turning to walk away.

"Wait Kate." He called out, causing me to sit back down. "There's another reason I brought you up here away from the others." He told me.

I tilted my head to the side. "Why would that be?" I asked.

He looked over at me and stared deeply into my eyes, like he was trying to read my emotions. What was he playing at. He looked like he knew something but he couldn't know anything about me personally, except for the things I wanted him to know.

"Its about Humphrey." He stated.

I was taken back, "What about Humphrey?" I asked. Was he okay. Was he going to tell me something that they didn't want Humphrey to hear.

"I know you have feelings for him." He told me.

My eyes widened. Why would he assume such a thing. "I already told you, we're just friends." I shot at him.

"Kate, I know how you're feeling. I know you're just trying to be a good alpha but you're actions around Humphrey are unmistakable. I would know, I fell in love with an omega myself." He explained.

"You know nothing about me. Besides, I'm already promised to someone. I'll be marrying the Eastern leaders son, to unite our packs." I stated.

Cecil closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head. "I see. Kate, I can't tell you how to live your life. I can only give you advice. I know right now that your feeling scared and confused, wondering how you could ever gain feeling for am omega. Your stomach is feeling like it's turning in Knotts every time you think about him. And if you do marry that eastern wolf and never tell Humphrey your feelings, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Just remember that this is your life and you only get one, so try and make it a good one" He told me. He then got up and proceeded to leave. But before he did, he told me one last thing.

"And I would tell Humphrey now about that wedding. Because if you don't tell him until you get back, you'll leave him with a shattered heart." After that, he left down the him.

Leaving me, still sitting and staring off into the distance. Everything he said about how I was feeling, it's true. I just can't seem to take my mind off of him lately. Ever since I got back from Alpha school. And every time I thought about marrying Garth, it made me want to puke. Could Cecil be right? Was I falling for an Omega?

 **Another chapter down, and can I say that this is a very fun story to write. Well, there's Cecil's background story for yah. Banished from his pack for being in love with an omega. And accusing Kate of being in love with one, Could she have a similar fate in her future? Comment what you think will happen.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it.**

 **Peace Out.**


	11. Garth

**Garth**

What was this feeling that I can feel? It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long, long time. Not sence my mother passed away. It was a feeling of Love. But this was a different type of love. Not one that you would feel towards someone like a mom, dad, or sibling. No, this was a love towards a significant other.

I looked at Lilly out of the corner of my eye. Its like every time that I looked at her, I got this nervous feeling in my chest. I would catch myself looking at her, and I even flirted with her a couple times. I knew exactly what was happening and I tried to ignore it.

I have a duty to my pack and I can't let myself be distracted by an omega. My father always taught me to put off anything that would distract me, that's just how I was raised. My dad personaly gave me alpha lessons and molded me into what he saw as the perfect alpha. And so that's what I was going to give them. But Lilly was making that difficult.

Lilly was one of the greatest wolves I havd ever met. How could this have been happening to me? I was trained to ignore these feeling for omegas. I mean it's not uncommon for things like this to happen. My father told me that some wolves from the west broke this law when he was just a pup. He didn't know much about it though. Just said some high ranking wolf got caught with an omega and was kicked out. Typical case when it comes to things like that.

But damn, Lilly was causing me so much confusion. What would be wrong if her and I did get together? How would this affect anyone at all. It didn't make any sence to me. I mean Lilly is so nice, so wonderful, and not to mention down right beautiful. But I guess that if there is a law about it then it must be for a reason. Right?

I guess none of this would really matter soon because in a couple of days I would be returning home and the next day there were only one of two outcomes that would perspire that day. Either Kate would return and we would marry to unite the packs, or we would be forced to try and take the valley by force. Its not what he, or anyone else wants, but it's what needs to happen if we want our pack to survive. We barely made it through this winter, we would definitely not be able to make it through another one.

I looked at Lilly again. What would happen to her if we did go to war. Hopefully she would be spared. I just hoped that Kate would get back before things got ugly.

"Come on Garth, we're here." Lilly called out to me. I looked ahead of me and noticed I had fallen behind a bit.

I hustled over to her and as I got closer I started hearing the sounds of crashing water. I knew what I was going to be looking at before I even got to the top of the hill with Lilly. A waterfall about fifty yards away was in a constant flow. The mist from the crashing waves of water caused a slight rainbow to form just above the outflow of water. It was a pretty sight to see.

"Come on, I want to show you something." She said, jogging over towards the falls.

I followed closely behind. But my eyes couldn't help but wonder towards Lillys rear. The way she mover her hips as she moved, it was hypnotizing.

I shook my head, I should not be thinking these thoughts. I need to stay strong, and I need to fight these urges. No matter how powerful they were on me, I could not sucom to these urges.

We made it over towards the edge of the water and I asked her what it was she wanted to show me.

"Follow me." Was all she said before she dove into the water.

I stood there a second, confused as to why she would do this. But I just laughed it off and dove in after her. I looked ahead of me underwater and could see her swimming pretty far ahead of me. I quickly swam after her and by the time I reached her we were already resurfacing.

I shot my head out of the water and took in a big gasp of air. When I regained myself I noticed that we weren't outside anymore, we were in some sort cave. I looked over and saw Lilly climbing onto shore. I decided to go swim over and join her.

When I got over there I found Lilly and myself laughing.

"Where are we, it's gorgeous." I said in awe.

"Its a cave behind the Waterfall. Humphrey found it when he was playing around here as a small pup. He showed Kate and I, and it became our little get away when we water to escape from the pack." She explained.

It was a magnificent place. The cave seemed to swim and glow in colors from the sun reflecting off the water. A beatiful sight that they were lucky to stumble upon. And I felt kind of honored that she would show this place to me. A place were only her and her two closet friends had ever gone. It made me feel kind of special.

I decided to take this time to shake all the water off of me, while intentionally getting Lilly more wet in the process l. She screamed s lityle as I did this which caused me to laugh. It was fun hanging out around her. I haven't really had the chance to have friends growing up. My dad would always be having me do something to make me a 'better alpha'.

But with Lilly, I'm able to just let loose and have fun. Something I rarely get to experience. I'm glad I was given this opportunity to meet her and to have this much fun, even though I could ever he with her. It seemed every time the thought of us even being together came up, my heart ached with the despair of me knowing it could never be.

I looked over at Lilly and noticed that her fur hung down below her eyes, making it so she couldn't see. But she didn't seem to care. She was laughing without a care in the world. So I decided I would help her.

I took my paw and slid Lillys hair to one side, revealing both of her eyes. This was the first time a got to see both of them. Such beautiful violet eyes. Staring into them seemed to unlock my heart. That was the final push that was needed.

We stared deeply at each other and began to inch our muzzles closer and closer. My heart started to beat rapidly and everything seemed to slow down so much it's like time was stopping.

We got right up to each other and I could feel her breath. We stayed there for a few seconds, waiting for the other to do something. That's when I took a leap of faith and we connected our muzzles together for a passionate kiss. It almost felt as if sparks were flying around me.

I ignored everything in my head that was telling me how wrong this was and how much trouble I would get in if I was caught doing this. But instead I listened to my heart which was aching for this to happen. Now it was filled with pure happiness. I could not express the joy I was feeling. And obviously she was feeling the same way since she was kissing back just as hard as I was kissing her. Magical can be the only way I could express this moment.

After what seemed like forever of joy, we finally parted away. We looked into each other's eyes and I could tell thst she was just as happy as I was. I couldn't believe that it happened to me, but there was no denying it. I have fallen head over paws for this sweet little omega.

 **So much love for our little alpha and omega couples. Lilly and Garth seem to be happy, but what happens when they remember a certain law that they are breaking. It seems to me that they might have some rough decisions to make in the future.**

 **Thanks for reading, and comment what you think about this chapter or the story so far.**

 **Peace Out**


	12. Love is in the Air

**Humphrey**

I was starting to become restless. Cecil had come back over three hours ago without Kate, and she is yet to return back. I was worried for her.

When Cecil came back without Kate, I immediately asked where she was. He just told me that she had some thinking to do and that she would be back soon. Well now three hours later and still no sign of her. My worry must have been showing because Stacy told me that I had nothing to worry about. She assured me that an alpha like Kate could take care of herself. I knew that but it didn't mean that I couldn't worry for her.

"Just give her time." Cecil had told me. "She has a lot to think about, and decisions that she needs to make."

I didn't understand what he was talking about. What decisions did Kate have to make? How important did they have to be for her to be gone for three hours? It just didn't sit well with me. I needed to know that she was Okay.

I groaned a little as I started to pick myself up from the ground. I may not feel much pain, but my muscles were really stiff and soar. As I did this I got a harsh glance if dissaproval from Stacy.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" She questioned.

"I need to make sure that she is fine. I don't care what you say, I owe it to her to check on her." I said calmy, as not to worsen the situation.

I knew that she would act like this. She's the doctor and I'm the patient disobeying her orders. She was just trying to keep me from hurting myself even more, and I get tgat. But Kates whereabouts is more important to me than my own physical health.

She was about to say something ekse, but Cecil was there to stop her. He looked at Mr with a soft smile.

"She's a ways off west of the den. If she's where I left her then she's on a small hill." He told me.

Stacy looked over at him bewildered that he'd let me do this.

"He needs to stay in here and rest, not be going out and having a chance of making things worse." She argued.

"And he will rest. Just trust me when I say that he should go and find her." Cecil insisted.

Stacy looked like she was trying to find something to argue back with him, but it seemed that nothing came to mind.

She gave a deep sigh and looked over at me with disbelief in what she was about to do. "Fine, you can leave. But don't blame me when you wake up feeling terrible tomorrow." She warned.

I smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be back in no time." I promised as I limped my way out of the den, thanking Cecil as I passed him.

I exited the den and immediately limped my way west, where Cecil told me I could find Kate. I was pretty sure that she would be okay but being gone for three hours made me worry for her. Besides, I was glad to be getting up and out of that den, but I was extra careful in not stepping with my front right leg, I didn't want to feel anymore pain than I already was.

They must have walked quite a ways out because I didn't see any signs of her yet. I had a good hit on her scent but other than that, nothing. I didn't even see the hill that Cecil was talking about. I guess I woukd just have to follow her scent for the time being.

As I walked, my mind wondered to what Cecil said earlier, about Kate. He had said that she had a lot to think about and that she had some hard decisions that she would have to make. From how long she's been gone it's like she was rethinking her whole life or something. It just makes me wonder what it was. Hopefully I would know soon, that is if she even tells me. I won't push her for any information, I just want to know that she's ok.

I finally spotted the hill and began to walk up it. It was actually pretty decent sized and it would take some time to get to the top, especially for a wolf in my condition. That made me think back to how I ended up like this. I've done a lot of stupid things to impress Kate, which usally ended with me in the healers den, but I can honestly say that this tops everything. I mean what normal omega jumps off a cliff? None! But I guess my crush on Kate has a bigger handle on me than I thought it did.

My thoughts were dragged away from that as I smelled Kates scent getting stronger, and I could hear something very far away. It was up hill and most definitely Kate. I would recognize her voice from anywhere, even if it is muffled by distance.

I smiled, knowing that she was fine. I quickened my limped pace towards the sound of her voice until I was nearly to her. But I stopped once I heard her say something. "I just need to tell Humphrey the truth." She almost shouted at herself. That made me stop in my tracks. Was she up here all this time because of me?

It may be wrong, but I hid behind a nearby tree to hear more about what she had to say. For awhile she was only silent, probably lost in her own thoughts. But eventually she started to talk.

"I still don't know how I should go about doing this." She told herself. What was she talking about?

"Should I tell him everything and go against everything I've been taught, or should I throw my life away for the pack. If I do tell him, then I might be happy and live a nice life, but also I will doom the pack into chaos. So it's either happiness or saddness for the rest of my life. The two things I've been arguing over and over with myself for the past three hours. I just wish I knew what to do." She cried.

Whoa, I just walked into a very deep self conversation. She seemed to be picking herself apart emotionally, and I do not like seeing her like this. But what am I to do? I don't even know what's she is trying to figure out. But by the sounds of it, it involves me. So maybe I would be able to help her out.

I was about to walk out from behind the tree and go over to her, to try and comfort her, but I was stopped by a sound of absolute beauty. I listened as Kate howled her soul out to the heavens. To many, a howl may sound just like a howl, but to us wolves it was so much more. A whole story could be told just from one howl, and the story Kate is howling is sorrowful.

It explained how she was torn in two, how her heart was being dragged in two different directions. One way her heart was being pulled towards the pack and her responsibilities. The other way was towards the one she loved but how it was a forbidden love.

It took me a second to piece together everything from her howl, but it eventually all made sence to me. Apparently she was supposed to marry Garth to unite the packs to prevent war. But her heart ached for something, or should I say someone, else. It kind of took me a minute to comprehend that the wolf she wanted to love, the love that was forbidden, was for me. She actually loved me. After all this time thinking she never felt the same way towards me, I finally knew that she did. It was exhilarating to find this out. It brought tears of joy to my eyes.

I slowly walked out from behind the tree and crept up beside Kate while she was still howling. She still had no idea I was next to her, so I decided to give her a little suprise.

I started to howl with her, which seems to have caught her way off guard because she stopped. But I continued on as she listened. Unlike her howl, mine was full of joy and relief. I howled about when I first met her and all the good times after that. I howled about how I slowly fell in love with her, though I knew that I could never be with her. And then it happened.

She began to howl with me. My heart rate increased as Kates beatiful howl mixed perfectly with mine. A sign that we were meant to be together. This was honestly turing into the best day of my life. I don't think anything would be able to trump this.

Soon, like all great things, our howl came to a slow stop. Ending with Kate and I looking into each other's eyes.

"I need to tell you something." We both said simultaneously.

"You first." I told her.

She nodded and took a deep breath, "Humphrey, I've felt something towards you for a very long time but was scared to say anything, in fear that something bad would happen. But I can't keep these feeling trapped anymore. Humphrey I love you and I wish I could spend the rest of my life with you as my mate." She said as tears ran down her face. The same was happening to me, out of joy.

"Kate, you have no idea how happy it makes me hearing you say that." I cried out as I brought her into a giant hug. Hearing a howl is one thing, but hearing it come out of her mouth made everything better.

"I've slowly been falling in love with you since the day we first met, and since then I've been constantly reminded by everyone that there was no way because it is aginst pack law. Even if we don't ever get to become mates I'm still glad to know how you feel about me." I told her, finally exposing my feelings towards her.

"What do you mean by not becoming mates?" Kate questioned.

I sighed, "Kate, I may love you with all my heart and would do anything in my power so that we could be together, but I've realized I need to stop thinking about myself." I admitted to her.

"And how are you only thinking about yourself on this?" She asked.

"Kate, in your howl you expressed your feeling of hate towards the idea of marrying Garth because of me. I can't let the whole pack go to war just because of my love for you. Besides, you'd have to leave behind everything and everyone you know. You don't want to do that, do you?"

Kate smiled and shook her head softly. "Did Cecil tell you the reason he brought me up here?" She asked. I shook my head.

"He explained that he was banished from the pack after he was caught kissing an omega. He was given a choice to forget about her and to still become the leader of the pack but he turned it down. He gave up everything to be with the one he loves, and I'm willing to do the same thing." She said passionately.

I was at a loss of words. My body was filled with so many emotions that I didn't know what to do. But before I even knew what I was doing, I brought Kate into a big kiss.

Kate didn't even hesitate and began to kiss me back. We sat there for minutes, not breaking apart from our little love session. I could feel the passion from the intensity of our make out session and it was joyful beyond all imagination. On that moment I knew that I would never let Kate go, that I would hang onto her forever.

Finally, we broke apart and looked at each other. Neither one of us said a word, but our smiles spoke for us. This was a beautiful moment, and I only wished tgat it could go on longer. And it seemed like my wish was granted because out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the sun was going down.

"Would ma' lady like to watch the sun set with me on this glorious day?" I asked with a jokingly sincire voice.

Kate giggled a little at my fun making and agreed. We both layed down as we watched the sun set on this perfect day.

"Just so you know, I talked with Paddy and Marcel earlier. They agreed to go and tell my dad of our whereabouts." Kate told me as she leaned her head against my body.

"What are we going to do then. Aread we just going to stay here?" I asked.

"I don't know, we'll figure that out when Paddy and Marcel get back." She said with a yawn following.

I nodded in agreement. We didn't need to worry about that right now. I just wanted to keep my thoughts happy, knowing that I was with Kate finally, and that nothing could tear us apart.


	13. Wishful Thinking

**Lilly**

Honestly, I couldn't speak a word after what just happened. My mind was still in a dazed shock as I stared blankly at Garth. I must have looked like a fool just gazing at him forever without any words or movement. I guess I was kind of acting like a love sick puppy; but who could really blame me?

Things like this do not happen normally. And what makes it even less likely is that he is from a rivaling pack. An alpha like him just doesn't fall in love with an omega like me, it just doesn't happen. Yet here we were now, in the middle of a secret cave staring lovingly at each other right after we just kissed.

Not only does this break the alpha omega law, but if anyone was to find out about this, it would shatter the already weak bond between our two packs. There would be chaos around the packs because two high up wolves broke pack law. All this was real risky and extremely fragile things that we were messing with. But for some reason that only made it better.

I am usually a rule following wolf who always does what she is told. I rarely ever back talk my parents or my friends and I usually do everything they tell me to do. I'm not the one to break rules, or to be a trouble maker. But now with doing this, it excited me. I was pushing myself beyond my normal self and I liked it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever of just staring at each other, Garth shuffled around nervously. "Soooo... how was that?" He asked.

I giggled. This was obviously his first kiss, and as well it was also mine. "It was perfect." I purred, giving him a little peck on the cheek.

His cheeks got all rosey and he averted his eyes to the floor. "R..really, you thought it was." He stuttered.

"Your cute when your nervous." I chuckled. Which caused him to blush even more.

It was kind of weird. I'm usually the shy and let others talk kind of wolf, yet here I am with Garth easily talking with him, and causing him to be nervous. And from what I've seen, Garth is a out going wolf who likes to take charge. But it seems the tables have turned. I guess our reaction to finding our first love is a little different.

"Your an amazing wolf you know that." He told me. "The most amazing one I've ever met." He finished as he got closer again, like he was going to kiss me again.

I smirked, "Am I now?" I said teasingly, causing him to nod.

I stood up and started circling him slowly. "How so?" I questioned.

"What is this, an interrogation?" He chuckled.

"I guess you could call it that."

"Well for starters, you're very beautiful." He stated.

"Go on!" I insisted.

"Well, I haven't known you for too long, but I know that your funny, caring, and really sweet. And I'm certain there is more to you that I can love if I get to know you even better." He told me.

On the outside I was calm and collected but on the inside, I was mentally squealing. I think I have found the most perfect wolf ever for me. But as I thought about this I came to a stop and sat down with a frown.

Garth looked at me with concern, which caused the pain I was feeling to worsen.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

I sniffled and sighed. "None of this can ever leave this cave, can it?" I asked sadly, already knowing the answer.

Garths face fell blank and his ears flattened on his head. He knew that it couldn't. We both knew it, and it made me depressed.

"It kind of sucks, doesn't it?" I said, catching Garths attention. "How wolves have to follow a guide line of who to love. I mean, how many hearts have been broken because of this stupid law." I nearly shouted.

"I know of at least four wolves." I said in a much softer tone.

Garth looked quizzically at me. "Whose the other two?"

I smiled lightly as I thought of probably the best couple that could ever exist. "Kate and Humphrey." I told him plainly.

He looked at me skepticaly. "Those two? They seem like complete opposites." He stated.

I let out a laugh, "Those two are some of the closest friends ever, of all time. Those two were never not together when they were pups. And for me it was easy to see how the two felt about each other. It was kind of obvious to everyone except for them. I guess it's better that way." I explained.

Garth nodded, understanding what I meant by it. It made a lot more things less complicated if the two had no idea about the others feelings for each other. Plus it would save all the heart ache.

"Its probably getting dark, we should head back now. We don't want to cause any suspicion of what we've been doing." Garth said, walking over towards the water.

"Garth, wait." I called to him.

He stopped and looked back as I walked over to him. "I don't know if we'll ever be able to do this again, so could we have just one more kiss?" I asked.

He smiled and brought me in close to him. "Of course." He said then bringing me into another great kiss.

Unfortunately, the moment of greatness was short lived and before I knew it, the two of us were making our way back towards my den. The sun was setting on this wonderful day. But I knew that after today, everything would go back to how it used to be.

Kate would most likely be back home with Humphrey and she would marry Garth. I would just have to accept that Garth and I couldn't be a thing, or so that what my rational thought was telling me.

In front of me, it was easy to tell that Garth was uneasy about something. I didn't want to ask but I had a feeling it would be best of I did. Fortunately, before I could get a word out, he spoke to me.

"Lilly, I don't want what happened in the cave to be the last of that." He stated.

I sighed, depressed. "Neither do I Garth, but what can we do? A law is a law." I told him. "Plus, a war will break out if you don't marry Kate." I added.

Garth sat there and thought for a second. It only took a moment for his face to light up. "What if the packs are united under another marriage." He proposed.

I looked at him quizzically. He wasnt thinking what I think he's thinking, is he?

"What if instead of Kate and I, it's you and I, Lilly?" He suggested.

I was taken back by his proposal. I mean, yah, I like the wolf but would I really be ready to marry. I could envision it happening someday but this was just really soon for me.

"I, I don't know." I said hesitantly. "Besides, I doubt we'll be able to convince either of our fathers to agree to that."

"I know its not the best solution, but it very well might be our only. When I go back to my pack I'll try and convince my father. Hopefully he will understand and allow this to happen." He said.

It was heart warming to know that Garth would try and do all that he could so that we could be together. I know it would be hard for him. He was going to try and get a pack leader, who's his father, to break an ancient law for him. And Tony is very strict when it comes to laws.

"Thank you. You're the best." I told him. He smiled and we continued on until we made it back to my den.

We entered and we were immediately greeted by my mother. "Hello you two, how was your day?" She questioned.

"It was great. Garth really enjoyed seeing the pack." I told her.

"That's great! I'm glad you two had a wonderful day."

"Where's dad?" I asked, just noticing his absence.

"He's off with patrols tonight, hoping that Kate will be back soon." She sighed. "Her disappearance has taken its toll on us."

"Yah, tell me about it." I agreed.

After that, mom said that she was going to go to sleep a little early tonight and went to the back of the den to sleep. I looked out of the den and noticed the sun was still setting and asked Garth if he wanted to watch it with me. He obviously agreed and we sat down ouside the den and watched the beautiful sunset.

We stayed a good distance apart as to not cause any suspicion of anyone passing by, though I wish I could be in his embrace right now. Feel his warm fur against my body. If Garth was successful in talking to his dad, then that might turn into a reality. Until then I'll just have to get over the fact that Garth and I couldn't show any affection.

We stayed out a little after the sun set and gazed out into the dark. Until Garth suggested that we go in and get some rest. I agreed and we went into the den and lied down on separate sides of the den.

I quickly fell asleep and had a great night sleep full of wonderful dreams of Garth and I being together forever. Unfortunately, that's all they were, dreams.


	14. Things From The Past

**Humphrey**

I knew that I was in pain before I even woke up. It was the rays of the rising sun which made it to my eyes that got me to start stirring out of my sleep, much to my disappointment. I let out a groan of discomfort as I brought my head up. I wasn't feeling as much pain, but I'm pretty sure that's just because the medicine hasn't completely worn off yet, thankfully.

The first thing I noticed, besides my pain, was that I didn't wake up in a den. I looked over and smiled, realizing that yesterday wasn't just a fantasy I dreamed up, and it was indeed real what happened between Kate and I yesterday. We must have fallen asleep while looking up at the stars last night.

Kate was all curled into my side, which caused me even more happiness. Unfortunately it also caused a bit of pain that was growing steadily. I wouldn't mind her lying on me forever if it wasnt for this. So I reluctantly woke her up. Besides, I'm pretty sure the others are wondering where we are. I could already hear the lecture I was going to get from Stacy for being out this long in my condition.

Kate yawned as she looked at me. "What is it?" She asked.

I just pointed to my side and she got the message. She immediately got up and apologized, which I replied that it wasn't a problem. I had trouble getting up and was soon helped by Kate. I thanked her as I stood all the way up.

"So I guess we should get heading back?" She sighed.

"Yah, they're probably worrying about us." I told her. She looked at the ground with disappointment.

"Don't wory..." I smiled at her, "We'll do this again another time." I told her.

"Promise?" She asked with a growing smile.

"Of course." I promised.

We then got to walking and it soon dawned on me that this was very difficult to do in my condition. It was hard enough getting up here when I was getting the full effects of the medicine but now that it was wearing off, this wasn't going to be a pleasant trip back.

I walked a little farther before I stopped. "This isn't going to work." I seethed.

Kate gave me a look of sympathy. I could tell thst she wanted to do something to help the pain, but she had no idea what she could do. It didn't matter though, I'm just glad that she cares about me this much.

I laughed as a solution came to me when I looked over to my left. A small hollowed of log that looked perfect to take down this small hill. And the hill didn't look like it would be too hard to go down. It would be a piece of cake.

"Hey Kate, I think I have a solution to my problem." I said to Kate.

She looked curiously at me before following my gaze and looking at the log board. I knew she knew what I was thinking. She had seen me riding down hills on those a couple of times. Plus the look of worry also gave it away.

"I don't know Humphrey, every time I've seen you do this you end up crashing." She pointed out. "And you don't need to hurt yourself anymore than you already are."

She was right about always crashing, still haven't worked out a breaking system. "Those are much steeper hills with a lot more obstacles in our way. This hill will be a nice clear shot to the bottom." I assured her.

She didn't seem to like the idea, but I wasn't getting down any other way without feeling more pain. So she gave in. Before she knew it we were both sat in the log and getting ready to take off down the hill.

"You ready?" I asked her. She was holding on tight to me and I could feel her shaking a little. 'So much for fearless alpha' I laughed to myself.

"I guess so, just get going before I Change my mind." She urged.

"As you wish." I said as I pushed off and we started to slide down the hill. Like I had said it wasn't that steep so we weren't going that fast. Kate quickly recognized this and let go of me and I could only guess that she stopped shaking.

"Well this isn't too bad." I heard Kate comment.

"Told you so." I replied.

I took my time to enjoy the change of feeling from the ride. Usually, my heart would be beating extremely fast as adrenaline rushed through me. But now it was calming and made me feel relaxed. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the light breeze that was hitting my face.

Eventually, we made it to the bottom of the hill and came to a slow stop. First time without a crash! I call that a personal achievement!

Kate quickly got out of the log and came over to a slower me to help out. I probably could have managed fine without her but I wasn't complaining. I thanked her when I was all the way out and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Ewww." I heard someone squeal from in front of us. We looked ahead and saw Kyle sitting on top of a stump while covering his eyes. I laughed a little at his immaturity. Its funny how pups react to things like that.

"What were you two doing." Kyle asked, pointing at the log sled. I guess he quickly forgot about Kate and I's little kiss.

"I call it log boarding." I told him.

"That's so cool!" He exclaimed. "Can you teach me, please?" He pleaded to me.

"I don't know." I said nervously. "It can get kind of dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt and then have your parents kill me for it."

"Oh come on, they don't have to know." He whined.

"I don't know..." I started, but was stopped when he started giving me puppy eyes. It was almost to adorable to resist. The only thing is, I'm the master at that and it doesn't affect me. But I couldn't just leave him hanging.

"Tell you what, if your parents tell me that they will alow it, then I'll take you down a couple of times." I offered him.

"Fine." He pouted. He then walked off while grumbling some things under his breath.

Kate and I chuckled at his behavior and continued on to the den. I wonder if I was like this when I was his age?

"You'd make a great father, you know that." Kate told me.

I looked at her suprised. "W-what? Me? N-no I wouldn't." I said.

Kate rolled her eyes,"Of course you would. You handled Kyle perfectly." She complimented.

"Yah, but thats not my kid. Its easier when their someone else's." I pointed out.

"I suppose." Kate replied, though she didn't seem satisfied with my answers.

I actually couldn't be sure if I would be a good parent or not. I actually don't have anything to go off what a good parent is. I never had any of my own, even when I joined the pack. I was alone. The closest wolf I could call a parental figure would be Winston, but he was usually to busy with his own kids or the pack to really do anything with me. Its actually a miracle I turned out to be the wolf I am today. I just guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

It didn't take long for us to reach the den, and when we did I was met with a harsh glare from Stacy. Not that I didn't expect it.

"Where were you? You said you'd be back last night." She barked.

"Sorry, we got caught up in talking, lost track of time and just passed out after awhile. I meant to be back." I explained.

"What were you two doing up there all night?" Kdin asked, now entering the conversation.

"W-we just talked." I stuttered. Well now they'll definitely know somethings up.

"Just talked? Huh, then I guess those were two other wolves we heard howling last night." Kdin said with a smirk.

"And if I heard right, then I'm pretty sure that alphas and omegas aren't supposed to do that." Stacy mocked.

Kate and I had our heads pointed at the ground while we blushed hard. How could we have thought that they wouldn't have heard us last night. We weren't that far away from the den. Oh well, I guess we would have told them eventually.

"No need to feel embarrassed. We're not judging you." Kdin assured us.

"We know. Its just still kind of weird." Kate said, causing Stacy and Kdin to look at her, wondering what she meant. "I mean, I've been raised to memorize every single law the pack has. The main laws, like the alpha and omega one for example, were pounded into my head. And now to be breaking that law. It just feels weird." She explained.

They just kind of shrugged. I guess I shouldn't expect them to know anything about that since they are lone wolves. They don't really have any set laws. They do have rules though, and I guess that's the closest thing that there going to get too. Plus, I guess with Cecil being an ex-leader of a pack he would have some stricter rules than most lone groups would have. And I'm pretty sure he has more than the ones he told us.

"Hey, where's Cecil?" I blurted out, just now noticing his absence.

"Oh, he heard his mate howl a little while ago telling him they were back. He went to go and meet up with them." Stacy said while mixing together some herbs. She must have noticed my pain and started working when Kate was talking. I didn't even notice.

I decided I better lie down because standing up on only three of my legs was starting to kill me. I sighed in relief as the pressure from my legs and body was relieved as I relaxed on the ground. Kate decided to lay right next to me and snuggle into me. Which was a little uncomfortable, but I didn't say anything. Stacy then came over and gave me some of that medicine again. I thanked her after I swallowed it, and the effects seemed to happen almost immediately this time. This gal is a miracle worker.

"So these wolves, what are they like?" Kate asked.

Stacy and Kdin looked at her confused before realizing who she actually meant. "They're nice wolves with a happy family. I imagine you'll get along with them just fine." Kdin assured us.

This didn't really come as a suprise to me. I get along with most wolves I meet, if you exclude Garth. Plus, I already like everyone else here so I'm pretty sure I'll like the others.

"How old are the other pups?" I asked.

"They're about two months older then Kyle, so that would be around six or seven months. Its hard to keep track of time with children. They always seem to grow up so fast." Stacy sighed happily.

I looked at Kate and imagined us having a family of our own some day. That would most likely be in the distant future but it was still a happy thought.

I saw Stacy open her mouth to say something, but she stopped herself and perked her ears up. She must have heard something. I followed what she did to see if I could hear what she did.

"Someones running straight to the den." Stacy said. But she didn't seem frightened by this. She looked over at Kdin and they seemed to share some silent conversation. But before any conclusions could be made, two middle aged wolves came bursting into the den. They were panting like crazy as their eyes darted around the room.

"Jake? Kaley? What are you two doing?" Kdin said bewildered by these twos actions. These must have been some of those others that stay here. They didn't answer his question, instead they fixed their eyes on me. This made me a little nervous, which caught Kates attention.

"Can we help you." Kate growled defensively, but they ignored her.

"Could it really be you." The male said softly. Now this was starting to get creepy. What the hell did these two want with me.

"Do I know you?" I asked, already knowing that I didn't.

The female sighed. "I suppose you don't. You were very young the last time you saw us. It'd be a miracle if you remember anything from back then."

"W-what a-are you talking about." I stuttered out. "Back when? How do you know me?" I demanded.

"Calm down Humphrey, we'll explain everything if you just give us a chance." The male told me. I ignored the fact that he somehow knew my name and I decided that it would be best for them to tell me.

"Well I guess there's really one simple explication." The male said, looking at the female who nodded. "We're your parents." They told me in unison.

I stared blankly at them for a few moments as they waited in angst to get my reaction.

"No." I flat out said, no expression whatsoever on my face.

The two looked at me confused. "No?" Jake questioned. Obviously they didn't understand.

"I mean no. Its impossible. My parents were killed by humans a long time ago." I said frustrated.

"But we weren't, Humphrey." Kaley insisted.

"Stop saying I'm your son." I yelled, tears coming out of my eyes.

They seemed to be hurt by this, but I didn't care. How could these random wolves just come up to me and tell me they're my parents.

"But you are, let us prove it." Jake pleaded.

I looked at both of them dead in the eye. They seemed desperate to tell me. So I guess I'd let them humor themselves before chasing them away myself. I nodded my head, gesturing to them that they could explain.

"Thank you. First, you were born a year and a half ago, and you were relocated to Jasper Park when you were only a few weeks old. We named you Humphrey after my grandpa. Please, it's not much but it's all we know. We didn't get to be with you for very long." He cried out.

It wasn't very convincing, but how would he know that I was relocated to Jasper when I was young. I didn't tell anyone here about that. And looking at Jake was almost like looking into a mirror. My mind raced with contradicting thoughts but came to only one conclusion. These were my parents.

I was in a little panic when I believed what they were saying. I thought these two were dead for my whole life and now they just randomly show up out of nowhere.

Kate must have noticed my sudden panic because she asked if I was ok. And in truth I am not okay. I saw the two of them try and take a step forward to me but I stopped them.

"Stay away from me." I yelled, causing them to jump back. I stood up and slowly made my way towards the exit of the den.

"Humphrey, where are you going." Kate asked.

"I just got to get out if here. Don't follow me." I yelled. As I turned away I bumped into someone, and when I looked at them I saw it was Cecil. He looked confused. Behind them where three other wolves, much younger than him and younger than me. When I realized who they were my eyes became wide and I just booked it in a random direction. Well, I say 'booked it' but it was more of a fast hobble. Damn my leg.

I didn't know how much time I would actually get to be out here alone, because someone was bound to come after me eventually. So I had to make this time by myself last.

The feeling of fatigue soon overtook my body and I came to a fast stop. I was breathing hard and sweating terribly. I probably look like a mad wolf.

When I stopped, my mind went back to Jake and Kaley. I wouldn't call them my parents, not yet at least. Maybe not ever, because when I calm down, they have some serious explaining to do.

I lied down and decided to rest here for a second and try to collect my thoughts. I needed to calm down. My emotions were starting to get the best of me and I could see that. Of course that doesn't mean I don't want to see those two for a very long time, but at least I won't want to kill them for so many unexplained things.

Unfortunately, my time alone was short as only minutes later I could hear the sound of paws walking along the underbrush. Damn our good sense of smell, I just wanted to be alone. And my anger only grew when I saw who was coming.

When Jake and Kaley saw where I was, our eyes met and we exchanged glances. No doubt my eyes were full of hatred and a little bit if saddness, and there eyes showed regret. They were in need of forgiveness from me. Well they were certainly going to have to earn it.

"Why did you leave me." I growled at them.

"Humphrey, that's not at all what happened." Jake said.

"Then how did you know where I was, yet you never came and got me. Explain to me that." I barked.

"Humphrey, it's kind of difficult to explain it from there, so I'll just tell you from the beginning." Jake told me.

I thought about if I should listen or turn him away. I really wanted to chase them off right now, but I was itching to know just what happened. So I nodded my head and let him begin the story.

"Well, I guess I'll start with the day we lost you. It was a normal day, just like any other. Kaley and I were walking you and your, um... how do I tell you." Jake said scratching the back of his head.

"We were walking with you and your brother and sister." Kaley finished for him.

My eyes became wide, did I just hear them right. "I- I have more siblings?" I asked.

Jake nodded his head. "Their names were Blake and Sarah. You three were the best of friends. It was sad to see you guys torn apart from each other." Jake sighed.

"Wh-What happened?"

"When we were on our walk, we were ambushed by humans. They shot us with this stuff that paralyzed us so that we couldn't move. We could hear and see everything, though. We had to watch as these humans chased you three down and lock you up in cages. You were all so scared, yelling out to us but we couldn't do anything. We were stuck to watch you get taken out of our lives. Those sons of birches tore apart our family." Jake cried out, tears streaming down his eyes. His wife, Kaley, was there to comfort him, though she was crying just as much.

Memories flowed through my mind of the event that they just explained. I remembered everything they said, and I remember seeing them get shot. That's why I thought they died, because I saw them get shot and they just stopped moving. What else was a pup supposed to think.

"How did you know where I was?" I inquired.

Kaley took over for Jake and said, "We overheard them speaking, and two names came up; Jasper and Yellowstone. We knew where Jasper was, we had passed by it a couple times in out travels before we had you three. So when we were able to move again that's where we set out to go. We traveled for about two weeks when we finally made it. We found a wolf on patrol and told him of our problem. Fortunately, they knew that a pup had just been found and brought in a couple weeks before we arrived."

"He took us to the head alpha, Winston was his name if I remember right, and we told him what happened and asked if we could take him back. He told us that of course we could. He said that you were playing with his daughters and that he would take us to you. But when we got to you, and we saw you playing with those two pups, we saw how happy you were. We saw that you were in a pack that could offer you more protection than we ever could. We didn't want you to grow up in the life of a lone wolf. So we left you there and told Winston to not tell you we were ever there."

By this time, each of them had tears pouring out of there eyes. It was obvious that they made a hard choice in leaving me and it made me forgive them a little. But something was bugging me.

"Why didn't you just stay; become apart of the pack?"

"You have to understand, Humphrey, We had lived as lone wolves nearly our whole lives. Trying to adapt to pack life would nearly be impossible for us. We would have done something wrong and would have gotten kicked out really quickly. Trust me, we thought about it, but we just couldn't." Jake explained.

"Then you went off and started another family?" I asked hotly.

"By that time, we had found Cecil and everyone else, and we never found your brother and sister. We decided that they would be safe with everyone. And we didn't want to drag you away from your life." Kaley explained.

"So you guys just left me alone to let me grow up by myself. Not having any sort of parental figure in my life, no one to teach me most the things that parents are supposed to teach. I had to learn so many things either by myself or from friends. Do you know how embarrassing it is to get 'the talk' from friends." I cried out, now letting my emotions run free. I let my pent up saddness out and started bawling like a pup.

"Oh Humphrey, we're so sorry." Kaley said as she and Jake came over and brought me into a hug. Instantly, I felt a comfort go through my body. I felt warm in these wolfs embrace. I couldn't deny anything anymore. These two are my parents and even though they had left me alone and have caused me not to really trust them, I am still overjoyed that they are back in my life.

* * *

 **First I have to say that I am extremely sorry about the long delay on this chapter. I've just been extremely busy with other things and didn't have much time to write. Plus it's a little bit longer than usual for me, so it took even longer.**

 **Anyway, a lot happened in that chapter with Humphrey being reunited with his parents. Another twist in the story, my favorite things!**

 **Thanks For reading, please tell me what you thought about the chapter in a review.**

 **Peace Out**


	15. Kate

**Kate**

"Stay away from me!" Humphrey yelled at the two wolves who claimed to be his parents. This causing them to jump back, startled by his sudden outburst. He was starting to worry me. It really alarmed me when he started making his way out of the den.

"Humphrey, where are you going?" I asked worryingly as I took a step towards him. It was obvious that he was emotional and he probably wasn't thinking straight. I didn't want him going off and doing something stupid that would further injure him.

"I just need to get out of here." He panicked. "Don't follow me." He shouted as he ran out. Only to bump into Cecil. He looked even more panicked after that and he just took off. I was about to chase after him, but Cecil stopped me.

"What are you doing, I need to go after him." I growled, trying to get around him. But he wasn't going to let me.

"Obviously he wants to be left alone right now, it would be wise for us to do that." He said calmy. I was about to argue with him, but I knew I wasn't going to change his mind. So I just nodded my head.

"Good, now would someone tell me what's going on, please."

"These two came rampaging into the den, then try and tell Humphrey that theyre his long lost parents. It freaked him out so he ran off to Lupa knows where." I said, frustratingly. I mean, how did they think he would react. Seeing wolves that you have thought to be dead for years, and now they suddenly pop back into your life. Its enough to cause anyone to go into a mini freak out.

Cecil closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head. "I knew Humphrey looked awfully familiar." He said to himself, aloud. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Wait, so you knew about this?" Stacy asked. "And you didn't tell me." She seemed to be offended. I guess they must not keep many things from each other.

"It just came up in random conversation. I didn't think it would be important to tell you. Besides, it's there business, not mine. If they wanted to share it then they would have." He explained. Stacy calmed down and nodded her head in understanding.

I growled in annoyance, I needed to go and find Humphrey. I don't want anything bad to happen to him.

"I need to go find him, he might hurt himself in his mental and physical condition." I demanded.

"She's right." Stacy agreed. "He needs to be brought back here to rest his body."

Cecil nodded. "Alight then." He said. But stopped me as I took a step forward. "But I think it would be best if Kaley and Jake talk with him first."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you kidding me? These two are the reason for him acting this way." I nearly shouted.

He nodded his head "I understand that, but it seems to me that the only way to make Humphrey feel better is to resolve the problem between him and his parents." He said gesturing towards the two.

I didn't like it, but he had a good point. Even if they just met a few minutes ago, this was a family issue. I took a deep breath and agreed to what he said. He smiled and looked over to Humphrey's mom and dad. He told the two to go and find him, but before they left I warned them that if anymore trouble is caused to him, that I would have a talk with the two of them. I may be younger than them but that doesn't mean I'll hesitate in kicking their asses.

They left in a hurry and left Cecil, Stacy and Kdin, three pups and myself in the den. The pups were huddled around each other, heads down and looking really confused as to what was going on. They seemed to look everywhere around the room, but always skipped over me. I must have scared them with all the yelling and threats I was giving to their parents. I would have to apologize later.

I just hated to see Humphrey act like that. It was not like him at all, and I would definitely know. I probably know more about him than anyone else. Which is all the more why I love him. I know all his secrets, his dreams, his fears and everything that he was willing to share with me. Which I'm pretty sure is mostly everything.

"How did none of you notice that Humphrey and Jake looked almost like twins?" I suddenly asked. I mean, it should have struck them as odd at some point. Right? It was almost scary how identical they looked. His mom, not as much. She had a darker brown colored fur. But they did all share the same eye color.

"Well, I guess I was just to busy taking care of him to even think about it." Stacy replied. While Cecil and Kdin just shrugged. I rolled my eyes at a lack of an answer and decided to drop it.

"Are you three okay?" I heard Cecil ask the pups. They quickly nodded their heads in unison, which looked really cute.

"You all looked terrified. Was it because of her?" Cecil questioned. Again the pups nodded in sync. "Yah, she can be a bit scary." Cecil joked.

"Hey." I said playfully, knowing he didn't really mean it. At least I think he didn't.

"She was just trying to make sure that her boyfriend is alright. And she let her anger get out of paw." He assured them.

"How did you..."

"Its easy, you howled with him, you didn't come back last night, and you are really quick to try and defend him. Also, I can see it in your eyes."

Cecil has great observational skills, I'll give him that.

"Kate, your obviously close with Humphrey which leads me to believe it's been this way for awhile, so has he ever told you anything about his parents." Kdin asked curiously.

I nodded my head. "Yah, but nothing really factual. He told me that all he remembers is seeing his parents dead which must have been a mistake." I said, pointing out the obvious. I also remember him telling me that he would often day dream about having real parents again. How he wanted to have a loving mom that would always be there for him, and care for him. To have a dad that he could look up to and strive to be like. Those were what he wished they would be like. He would tell me these things from time to time, but it always came out to one conclusion. He didn't care what his parents where like, as long as they were loving and there for him so he wasn't so lonely.

It didn't seem like such a bad thing when I was younger, but now that I think back to it, it's really heart breaking. I wish I would have spent more time with Humphrey and been there when he was feeling alone. I should have taken up those offers when he asked if I could spend the night at his den so he didn't feel so lonely at night. My pup mind couldn't see how hurt this wolf actually was on the inside because he played it off so well.

But it was all clear to me now that deep inside, Humphrey has been keeping in all his sorrow, and he finally just lost it today. His emotional break down could have been avoided if I had just spent a little more of my time with him. I wish I could go back and do that, but what's done is done.

"Kate, Kate!" Someone said bringing me out of my thoughts. "Hello, earth to Kate." Kdin said waving his paw in front of my face.

"Huh, what, what is it?" I asked in a daze.

"You blanked out on us there for a second. Are you ok, youre crying?" Stacy pointed out.

I wiped the tears away from my eyes and told them I was fine, just that I was remembering some things in the past. They left it alone after that.

"Right, everyone must be starving. Kate, how's about you and I go and catch some food?" Cecil proposed, though it sounded more like an order to leave the den. So I accepted and we left the den.

We walked a little ways away from the den before he finally began speaking to me. "So you talked with Humphrey about all that stuff last night?" He checked with me.

"Yah, he knows all about the packs and the pending war. And as you already know, we confessed our love for each other. Now I'm planning on staying with him forever."

"That's good! It's great to see such a love form when it's supposed to be forbidden. Anyways, when are you planning on heading back?" He asked.

"Well, I wasn't planning on going back. I was going to talk with Humphrey about staying here." I told him.

He stopped and looked at me dead in the eye. "Come again."

"Its obvious that Humphrey and I couldn't go back. We'd be run out of the pack as soon as we told everyone about us. So why go back?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Its understandable that's what you want to do, but it's not what you should. You need to go back and talk with your father."

I laughed at him like he was crazy, "You're joking, right?" He shook his head.

"I'm not telling you to stay, just to let him know what's going on. He might even consider letting you and Humphrey be together. If he sees his daughter happy then he might soften his heart to the idea." He explained.

I honestly didn't like the idea one bit. I didn't want to see the disappointment and disgust on their faces if I tell them. I've strived to be the best daughter they could have. This would go against so many things that they've taught me. But I saw the reasoning in it.

"I guess whenever Humphrey is good enough to travel, is when we'll go." He agreed that would be the best thing to do. After we were done with that conversation we continued on our hunt.

It took us nearly an hour to track down and kill an elderly buck. The thing kept on slipping away from us but in the end we ended up dragging it back. About half way back we decided to take a little break from dragging the large beast.

"I don't remember seeing your wife come in with you earlier." I pointed out.

"She was tired from the trip. She just wanted to go and lye down and rest for a bit. You'll probably get to see her when we get back."

We then grabbed back on the the deer and again started dragging it. It took us awhile before we got close to the den, but when we did we heard laughter coming from it. Cecil and I looked at each other from the corners of our eyes. We then quickly dragged it back. Because I knew that laugh from anywhere, it was Humphrey's, mixed in with other laughs.

When we entered the den with the deer, I immediately picked up my head to see Humphrey with a big grin. This made me smile knowing that Humphrey was feeling better. I walked over to Humphrey and when he saw me his grin grew larger and brought me into a big hug when I got close enough.

"What was that for?" I laughed when he let go. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I just missed you."

"Well I missed you too." I said giving him a small kiss on the lips. This caused everyone in the den to go 'ooooo' making Humphrey blush. I giggled at his reaction.

I sat down next to Humphrey and saw that everyone was here. Kyle made it back here and he was talking with the other three pups. Also, I saw Cecil and his mate talking in the back of the den. Cecil seemed to be explaining everything to her. And from her actions I could tell that she was a little shocked.

She was a really beatiful wolf, even though she was a little heavier set. She had shining silver fur and even from here I could see her beautiful gray eyes. And it was easy to spot that she was definitely an omega. I could have figured it out without being told.

"I see that you're happier." I commented.

"Yah, we had a long discussion and figured a lot of things out. Its still going to take a lot of getting used to, but I'm happy I have them now. We have a lot of catching up to do." He said.

"And we're glad to have you back with us. It makes the family that much more complete. And we might even have a daughter-in-law in our near future, am I right?" Jake asked, causing Humphrey and I to both blush. It was still weird being together.

"Hopefully." I said, leaning against him. My thoughts went back to the packs and thinking how , after everything, what the turn out would be.

 **Boom, another chapter complete. Fortunately, its out a lot quicker than my last one.**

 **Anyways, this will be the last chapter of my summer break, for tomorrow I start school. So I will probably not update as frequently, but I'll try and get them out as soon as I possibly can.**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave a comment.**

 **Peace Out**


	16. On the Brink

**Winston**

The time was now. The days had passed and it was time to meet with Tony once again. I would be returning Garth to his pack and Tony was to give my wolf, Ryan, back over to me.

I had given him orders to come back to the pack as quickly as he possibly could if he found any evidence of them having my daughter. Since he hasn't, I'm hoping that means that Tony didn't have anything to do with the disappearance of Kate. Either that, or he was captured. We were soon to find that out.

I was again being accompanied with Hutch, Candu and Michael. I would need them there just in case things got messy. This meeting might be the start of a war. I only hoped that it wasn't going to be.

We walked out from the trees and into the clearing, where Tony was waiting for us. Next to him sat Ryan, which meant that Kate was not over there. It gave me a sence of relief, but only for a couple of seconds. Because if she wasn't over there, then that meant the scent of Humans around Kates last known location wasn't a coincidence. Humans were responsible for Kates absence.

My wolves and I walked right up to the stream and sat. Garth went over to his father, and Ryan walked over and sat on my right. Tony and Garth exchanged some words before he looked over at me.

"So how's your search for your daughter?" He asked, sounding legitimately concerned.

"Our searches have come back empty." I sighed. "I fear Humans had something to do with this." I said.

"Are you saying a relocation that they do every few generations?" He questioned. I sadly nodded my head.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I really am Winston. I'll give you a little bit of time to come up with another solution to our problem, or I will be forced to attack." He assured.

"What am I supposed to do, a marriage was the only thing that could unite our packs. I'm not a miracle worker." I yelled in anger.

"I am sorry Winston, I never wanted it to come to this. But my pack is becoming restless, and they won't wait much longer. They will attack with, or without me leading them. And I'm not going to abandon my pack." He said assertively. After that, he turned to leave.

"You're making a huge mistake Tony." I yelled. But he ignored me and kept walking.

"Dammit!" I yelled, slamming my fist on the ground.

"Sir, I have to say I can't blame him." Ryan said.

"What do you mean?" I growled, mad that he would defend him.

"Its terrible over there. Wolves are barley surviving. There's barley enough to keep both adults and pups alive. Its just miserable over there. I think two wolves starved while I was there, one of them being a pup." He told me.

I calmed down and looked to the ground in pitty. I had no idea it was that bad over there. But there was nothing I could do. I can't just give up our hunting lands because then my pack will start to starve. Our only solution was taken away by humans.

"Unfortunately, Tony wont agree to much else, besides a marriage. And that opportunity has passed." I reminded him.

"I guess you have a point there, sir."

"Come on, hopefully I can think of something when we get back."

We turned towards the pack and started to walk back, but I just couldn't push myself to go very far. I needed to sit down and have so time to myself. Hutch noticed that I had stopped and asked if everything was alright. Obviously, it wasn't. But I couldn't show weakness.

"Everything is fine." I told him. "I just need some time to myself, to think."

He nodded and went to catch up with others. Once they were a good distance away, I let out a shaky breath as a few tears made there way down my face. I'm not supposed to show any weakness, but how could I not cry. I have possibly lost one of my daughters forever. It's enough to make anyone shed some tears. I just hope wherever she is, she's safe and with Humphrey. I know he'll take good care of her.

My only other problem, besides the emotional pain, was to come up with some other solution to unite the packs. It may seem as easy as just trying to get along with another, but it's really not. Because that would cause an argument over power. More then two leaders just doesn't work. And just having leaders coming from an old rivaling pack is even worse. So having two wolves, one from each pack, together just ensures the best possible solution. But it seems that's not going to happen.

Unfortunately, Eve hasn't been doing any better with Kates disappearance. I would even say that's she's taking it much worse. She barley comes out of the den anymore, and hardly eats. She tries to hide it, but I also hear her quietly crying to herself at night. I know people view her as an aggressive psychopath with extreme anger issues, which she is, but she still cares a lot for everyone, especially her daughters. Why else would she become a healer.

I decided I had been out long enough, and it was time to call it a night. Hopefully some sort of solution to my problem would come to me soon. Unfortunately, answers don't just fall from the sky.

I turned around, but was immediately stopped as I heard someone call out to me. I turned around, yet saw nothing. Only heard some sort of flapping noise. I thought I was going crazy, but was proved wrong as two birds came and landed next to me. And all I was thinking was 'what the hell?'

"Excuse me sir, but can you please tell us where we are?" The goose said in between breaths. I'm guessing he had a french accent. He was weezing, trying to catch his breath, so it was kind of hard to tell.

"Your in West Jasper." I told the awkwardly. Why was I talking to these birds.

"Finally. Say, do you happen to know where we could find a wolf that goes by the name Winston?" The duck asked.

This shocked me. How would these birds know who I was. Something didn't seem right.

"Yes, your speaking with him." I told them.

They looked equally as shocked. "Well that was convenient." I duck stated.

"How do you know my name. What is your purpose of being here?" I interrogated.

"Right, sorry. We were sent here by your daughter, Kate." The duck explained.

It took me a second to comprehend what he had just said, but when it did register I was quick on the reply.

"You know where my daughter is!?"

"Yes, she is down in Idaho. Relocated to Sawtooth National Park by humans with her friend, Humphrey." The goose said.

This was great to hear. Knowing that the two of them are alright lifts a giant weight of worry off my shoulders. But, something confused me. Why didn't Kate and Humphrey just come back with these two? Why would she send these two birds to give me a message. And I asked them these questions.

"Mr. Humphrey received some severe injuries and wouldn't have been able to make it. Kate said she wanted to stay behind and take care of him until he was better. But she told us it would, unfortunately, be a couple of months until he was well enough to make the trip." The duck relayed Kates message.

Of course there would be more complications. I couldn't blame Kate, though, she has been taught from a young age to help her pack mates when they are in need. Its not suprising that she would stay behind to help, and even more so since it's Humphrey. I guess I shouldn't complain. I now know that the two are alright, more or less.

Maybe now I would be able to convince Tony to hang on a little bit longer. Just long enough for Kate to make it back. And then she would marry Garth and finally bring peace to the packs, no bloodshed needed.

"Thank you." I told them. "I'm greatful for this and will not forget what you have done."

"Its not a problem, sir." The duck said.

"And Kate wanted us to tell you one more thing." The duck started.

"Yes, yes!" The goose interrupted, "she wanted us to tell you that she loves you and mom and Lilly, and that she will be home as soon as she can be."

I knew Eve was going to be ecstatic over the news of Kate, and so would Lilly.

I was about to ask these two to take a message for me back to her, but decided that it would be best if they were with me for when I talked with Tony again. I didn't want him to question how I suddenly came into knowledge of Kates whereabouts, and not have any proof. He'd just say I was trying to stall and things would not end well.

So I asked if they would be ok to stick around for awhile to help me with explaining where Kate was at to Tony. They seemed a little confused as to why they were needed, but didn't say no. They agreed and said that they'd be around here when I needed them.

I thanked them again and they flew off. After they were out of sight, I turned tail and took off as fast as I could towards my den. I couldn't wait to share the great news with Eve and Lilly!


	17. Garth's Unfortunate Events

**Garth**

The walk back to the pack was uncomfortably silent. My father walked unhappily, ahead of me. His discussion with Winston had really set him off. Though, him being grouchy wasn't an uncommon thing. Its rare that I ever saw him with an actual smile.

I walked slowly beind the group, my mind wandering back to the western pack, back to Lilly. Back to that beatiful slender body, those gorgeous eyes, and the way she made me feel every time I was near her. She made me feel more loved in those few days u was with her, then all the time I have lived over here. That's when my thoughts lingered over to what my father said.

I don't know what I would do if I had to fight against Lillys pack. I don't even think I could bring myself to do it. A war between the packs is the last thing I wanted to do, right next to marrying Kate. That's why I needed to convince my dad to let me marry Lilly. We loved each other and would be better for uniting the packs.

I wish I had time to try and get him into a good mood. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of time for even trying to do anything to make him happy. There was just too much stress, and pressure for him. And from what I know, he has been like that since he was put in charge of the pack.

From what I've learned from our pack history, I know that we haven't been the most preservative of the packs. It started with my great-grandfather, who loved throwing enormous parties. He would have his wolves hunt for days just to supply for all his guests. He invited all the Jasper packs, and even some neighboring packs like Banff and The Glacier Pack. That was the beginning of our food problem.

My grandmother had tried to fix her father's mistakes. She cut back food portions, decreased hunting, anything to try and bring the population of caribou, deer and elk back up. But her efforts where in vain. And in the eyes of the pack, she died a failure. That's when my father inherited the problem caused by my great-grandfather.

For years, we have seen our food source dwindle and we could do nothing to stop it. And now we are at the point of starvation, willing to kill a whole other pack for a valley to hunt in.

So I really can't blame him for the way he is. I just wish that he was some times a little nicer. Maybe if mom was still around, then he'd be a little better about his attitude. But that just wasn't the case.

I was going to have to wait until both Scar and Claw were gone before I would be able to ask him anything. I didn't need anyone else knowing just in case this backfired in my face. Which is really likely to happen.

It wasn't until we were in the middle of our pack that Scar and Claw went to their den, finally leaving my father and I alone to talk. I had been trying to build up my courage the whole way here, and now was the time. When we made it to our den, I nervously swallowed, and took a shaky breath.

"D-dad?" I called out to him with a small voice, which he didn't seem to hear.

"Dad?" I said louder, this time catching his attention. I got a little grunt, signaling to me that he was listening.

"I-I think I have a s-solution to this 'uniting the packs' problem." I barley got out.

He turned around, and looked at me with interest. "Go on." He insisted.

"While I was over there, I met another wolf. Winstons other daughter to be exact. We really hit it off and I woukd really like to marry her." I quickly got out. This was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Harder than all the training I've received, harder than everything in my life up to this point.

He stared at me for a long time with a blank face and I just stood there, waiting for his reaction. Then he did something that I didn't expect. He started laughing.

"Good one, son. But we need to be serious here." He said to me. He thought I was joking. When he saw that I wasn't laughing, and that my face stayed the same seriousness, he frowned.

"You're being serious?"

"Look, Lilly and I really hit it off and it's better than the alternative," I said, trying to persuade him.

"You know pack laws, Garth. Alphas and omegas, they just don't work out." He explained.

"And how would you know?" I asked hotly, causing him to take a step back. "Its a law that was made centuries ago. I'm sure that wolves today can make it work." I argue.

He seemed to think about it for a second, but he shook his head and growled.

"Its not going to happen. End of discussion." He said in a hushed shout.

"But dad..." I didn't get to finish before he brought his paw across my face, hard. It caused me to stumble back a little as I held the place he had struck me.

"I said end of discussion. You will not bring this up again or I will be forced to take more drastic measures. Do I make myself clear?" He demanded. I did a little mumble under my breath.

"I asked you a question."

"Yes sir," I said hatefully.

He nodded his head. "Good, not go and get some rest. We have things to do in the morning." He sighed. I was about to go and lye down, but I was interrupted when I heard paw steps runnig towards the den. I didn't even have to look to know who was coming.

Sure enough, the wolf that came in was none other than Gavin. A charcoal gray looking wolf with a devilish smile, and a wicked glare. He was a slender wolf, like most who lived here, with glowing yellow eyes. If you didn't know him like I did, than you would probably think that he was some sweet little wolf. But I know that he is crazy.

Almost every day, he comes here looking for my dad. Why? So he can explain different battle tactics and strategies for attacking the west. Unlike most, he wanted a war to start. He craved for blood-shed, and he wasn't afraid to tell people. He has even plain out said that the only solution is to completely eradicate the western pack. He calls it pest control, and it sickens me.

"I'm sorry Gavin, but nows not the time." My father said. "I just got back from a meeting and I'm very tired. You can come back tomorrow." He said, ushering him away.

Gavin frowned a little, but nodded his head. At least I didn't have to hear that ass hole speak. He just drove me crazy. Unfortunately, other wolves agreed with him. Its not just his looks that makes others like him, it's what he says too. He just has a way with words that gets to wolves. He manipulates them. I've brought this up with my dad before, but he doesn't see it as a problem.

I lyed down in the back of my den, getting as far away from my dad as possible. I curled up into a ball and thought back to Lilly. My father wasn't going to let us be together, and he was going to drag me into a war that could be prevented. But his pride is blinding him, and he's not seeing the simple solution.

That night I dreamed about nothing but Lilly and I.

The next thing I knew, I was walking through a field. I was to meet Lilly here. Before we parted, we agreed that we would come and see each other here the very next day. I made sure that I wasn't followed, as being seen with the pack leaders daughter would not go over well. Especially since I had just admitted to my father that I loved her. Him finding out would not be good.

I was a little early, so I wandered around in the tall grass. It was a nice place. Peaceful was the word that would explain it.

I smiled as a familiar scent hit me. I turned to see Lilly appear through the grass. We smiled widely upon seeing each other. We ran up to one another and came into a tight embrace. I then gave her a loving kiss on the cheek.

"Its great seeing you so soon," I whispered into her ear.

"Did you speak with your father?" She questioned quickly, obviously fearing the answer.

I pressed my ears to my head and lightly sighed. "He said no, and was furious that I even thought of it."

Lilly looked to the ground and I could see that her lip started to quiver. Tears slowly started falling from her eyes. I honestly felt like doing the same thing. But Lilly needed me to be strong right now, for the bother of us.

I let her hug me as she cried into my fur. I put my leg over her and brought her in tight, letting her know that I had her.

"Don't worry, we can think of something." I told her.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing anything."

As I heard that voice, my body became stiff in fear. I turned around slowly to meet the eyes of my father. He had a look of fury on him. Obviously he wasn't too happy to see us together.

"Telling me is one thing, Garth," He started, slowly walking over to us. "But going behind my back to see this bitch? Absolutely disgusting." He spat.

I growled loudly. "How dare you call her that. I love her, and if I have to run away to be with her, than I will."

He stared blankly at the two if us for a couple of seconds, before slowly growing a smile.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill her." He said, wickedly.

My eyes became wide as he charged towards us. I yelled at Lilly to run, and I would hold him off. She did as she was told and I stood in front of my father, ready to defend the one I loved. Unfortunately, it seemed I miscalculated the strength of him. He easily overtook me, and I was thrown to the side in seconds.

I watched as he sprinted at Lilly with rage in his eyes. I looked on in horror as I saw him leap at her and clamp onto the back of her neck. I tried to get up, to go and help her, but it was like some invisible force was holding me back. I had to watch as Tony ripped Lilly to shreds, not showing any mercy.

I screamed and sobbed as I witnessed this, seeing pieces of her skin and blood fly all over, it was a sickening sight. And it looked like it wasn't going to end.

But it did, and when Tony got off of what was left of Lilly he started walking back towards me. I had tears streaming down my face, knowing what was coming next. First, the one I loved, and now myself. He could'nt have any witnesses.

When he got over to me, he smiled down and said only one thing. "I hope you don't take this personal, son. Its just what's best for the pack."

Then he launched his muzzle at me, teeth aiming for my neck.

I shot awake in a panic and took in a giant gasp of air right before his mouth could meet my neck. I looked around in a frenzy before I realized where I was. I was still in my den. I sighed in relief as I realized that it had all just been a dream.

Lilly and I never set up a time or a place to meet. Which was probably actually a really good idea. Even if we did get caught, it wouldn't have ended like that. My father may be strict with rules, but he isn't a murderer. Plus, if he did kill Lilly and I, then it would cause a lot of questions concerning our sudden disappearance. He's not stupid.

I lied there for awhile, just trying to compose myself. That dream really hit me hard. That was one of the worst nightmares I've ever had. It was terrifying seeing all of that.

It didn't take long, though, until my dad came in and needed me. He talked to me like nothing happened last night.

"We need to go meet Winston again." He told me.

I asked him why so soon, but he just shrugged. Though, he said it was probably important, so it would be best if we went. I agreed and we set off to go see Winston.

Skip forward a half hour and we were sitting in the same place as last night. My heart almost shot out if my chest as I saw Lilly accompanying her father. I saw dad look at me from the corner of his eye and was obviously annoyed with her presence.

The first thing that Winston said immediately caught my attention. He said he knew where Kate was.

"How do you know this. Its only been a night?" Dad asked.

"After we parted, a couple of birds, that I'm guessing she befriended, came to me and explained to me that she was relocated down to Idaho." He explained. "She said she'll be back as soon as possible."

My heart tightened at hearing this. With her return, we would be married. I would never be able to show my love to Lilly ever again. It was something that I did not want to think about.

"Why did she not return with these birds?" My father questioned

Winston then explained that the wolf she was taken with, me knowing that it's Humphrey, was severely injured and won't be able to make the trip. He said that she wasn't going to leave him behind.

"So there is no way she can get here faster." Dad asked. Winston shook his head.

That's when Dad looked back at me and thought about something for a second. I had no idea what he was planning, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it.

"Why don't we send Garth down to get her. You still have those two birds around, right?"

Winston nodded and pointed towards a nearby tree. In it sat a Goose and a duck.

"If Garth goes down there, both him and Kate would be strong enough to help carry the injured wolf back if they took turns. It would help speed things up and give Kate and Garth some time to get to know each other before they get married."

I knew I wasn't going to like this plan. I honestly didn't want anything to do with Kate for as long as possible. No offense to her, it's not her fault that we are going to be forced to be together. And by the look on Winston's face, I knew that he liked my dad's idea.

Winston nodded his head and smiled. "It sounds like a great idea. How about he leaves first thing in the morning?" He asked.

"Sounds perfect. I'll actually just leave him here in your pack for the night. It is closer and will save him about 30 minutes on his trip." Dad said.

Winston agreed. My dad turned to me and told me good luck in finding her. He told me to get back here as soon as possible. He gave me a wary look before just turning around and leaving. After that, I had a bad feeling that something in the near future was going to go wrong.

I watched until he dissappeard into the forest. I then turned around and saw that Winston and Lilly were both waiting for me. So I didn't keep them waiting anymore, and walked over to them.

Winston gave me a silent nod before he turned around and started heading back to his pack. Lilly stayed behind with me, and when we knew that Winston was out of hearing range we began to talk.

"So, I'm guessing either you haven't talked with your dad, or..."

"Let's just say he wasn't a big fan of the idea," I sighed, still feeling a slight sting from where he had hit me last night.

Lilly looked like she was about to cry. "I guess I can't be shocked," she started,"It was a long shot and we knew it."

I just wished that it had worked, and now I was going to have to go against my heart. Either that, or risk the lives of dozens of wolves. I honestly didn't know which one would be worse.

 **And another chapter finally completed.**

 **Sorry about the slight delay, but I couldn't get into my account for awhile and everything was going wrong, I might have broken some things in frustration... anyway, we dont need to worry about any of that.**

 **Seems Garth is having a hard time with things, seeing as his father wasn't interested with his plans. Wonder what he might do next?**

 **Thanks for reading, and please leave a review.**

 **Peace Out**


	18. Family Bonding

**Humphrey**

Well, this is a really awkward moment.

Kate and I sat close together not saying a word, but giving the occasional glance. In front of us, on the other side of the den, were four others. There was Kyle, then the three others. Its still weird to think that they are my biological siblings. I never thought I'd ever get to see them, or that they ever existed.

We all sat in an awkward silence, no one knowing where to start, or what to say. But how could you blame us, we all just found out that we have a sibling we never knew about. Or at least I didn't know about them. I don't know if they were ever told about me or my other two siblings thar I had no clue about until yesterday.

We were all left here with each other after the older wolves said that they were all going to go to the near by lake for a little get away from the pups. And lucky for Kate and I, we were put in charge of pup sitting these four. My mom and dad told me it would be a great opportunity to get to know, and bond with them. I honestly don't even think they care for me, not by the looks I have seen them give me. Of course they're just pups, so hopefully I just have to make a good impression with them to get on their good sides.

I thought for a second, and realized something. No one had evee told me what any of their names are. You'd think I would have heard them by now, but I guess I've just not been paying that much attention. This woud be a perfect way to break the ice.

"So... I never got any of your names." I said, making them look up at me.

They shuffled their paws around nervously. They tried as hard as possible to not make eye contact with me. It hurt a little, but I couldn't blame them. I'd be the same way if I was suddenly introduced to a complete stranger and saying we were related. Fourtunetly, Kyle stepped up for them.

"He's Steven, the oldest," He said pointing to the one who looked like our father and myself, having the dark gray fur and blue eyes. "That's Megan, the middle child," He pointed to the dark brown she-pup with blue eyes, looking almost identical to mom but being slightly darker. "And that's Reed, the youngest," He pointed to the black pup with green eyes. Probably got the fur and eyes from some passed down gene from another relative. Since neither of our parents held any of those traits.

I smiled and thanked Kyle.

"Do you need me to introduce you to them now?" He asked. I chuckled a little and shook my head.

"That's okay," I told him."Besides, I'm pretty sure they already know my name." They nodded their heads, confirming what I had said.

I needed to get these guys to talk. I wanted to have a good relationship with them. Of course I didn't know what to do, I've never had any siblings growing up. This is all kind of new to me. So I thought of the next best thing. My three best friends, Salty, Shaky and Mooch. We were really close, and they are the closest things I had to brothers growing up. So I just thought about how we grew close. And that was by playing games.

"So, any of you have a favorite game you like to play?" I asked. This would be perfect. We would be bonding and we'd get out of this boring cave. Though, we couldn't do anything to extreme due to my physical condition. But I'd try my best with things. Stacy's medicine would help me with this.

No one said anything g for a second, still being a little nervous. But one brave soul stepped up and gave an idea.

"We like to play hunter and hunted a lot."

It was the oldest, Steven, who spoke up. When the others heard this, their ears perked up and their tails started to wag. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

"Sounds great! Where do you guys usually play?" I asked. They all got up and told us to follow them.

Kate and I got up and followed the four pups out of the den. They took off and ran ahead of us a little far, until Kyle reminded them that I wasn't able to keep up because I was really hurt. So they jogged back over to us and walked at my pace. I really like Kyle, he's a really unique pup. And it's obvious that he's the leader of all of them, and he's really good at it. If they all choose to stay together in the future, Kyle will make the perfect leader.

It took us a little longer than the pups wanted, but eventually we did make it. In front of us was a field of tall grass, perfect for stalking.

"Okay, so how does..."

"Not it!" Kyle yelled, getting an immediate response of everyone else saying the same thing. It was Megan who was the last one that said it.

She groaned and turned away then began to count.

"Come on, we got to hide in the grass!" Kyle called to Kate and I. I guess I understood most of it. Its just a more complicated version of hide and seek.

We went over to the grass and split up, she went to the right and I went left. I could still hear Megan counting as I pushed my way through the grass. I noticed how loud I was being and noted that I should probably be a little quieter. I went a little further until I found what seemed to be like a good place to stay for the game.

I lyed down and perked my ears up. I didn't hear her counting anymore, which meant she was probably coming to try and find us now. And by the name of the game, I figured getting found isn't all too fun.

It was silent for awhile, not a sound could be heard except for the occasional chirping of a bird.

I whipped my head around as I heard the sound of grass getting ran through, and it was heading right towards me. I held my breath, thinking that I was already caught, but I let out a silent sigh as I found out it wasn't Megan. It was actually Reed. He stopped and looked at me for a split second, straight in the eyes. Then he ran off again in a hurry. That couldn't be good.

My body stiffened as I heard the ruffling of grass from right behind me. It was only seconds later when I felt myself getting jumped on and a slight pinch in my neck.

"Gotcha!" Megan said in a muffled voice from having my neck in her mouth. I laughed, this was kind of fun.

"Yes you did," I said standing up. "By the way, Reed ran that way." I whispered. She smiled, nodded, and took off.

I walked out of the grass and went back to the place we started from. From there I listened to the screams of others being found, and watched as they came out with looks of disappointment from losing. This happened until it was only Kate who was left. They were in there for about twenty minutes before Megan finally came out with a look of defeat, saying that she couldn't find her.

It didn't suprise me. Kates a highly trained Alpha, and one of the best the pack has seen in a very long time. I woukd have been suprised if Kate had been found.

We called out to Kate, telling her that the round was over. A few seconds later she came walking out of the tall grass with a cocky smirk. She k ew she wouldn't have been caught.

"You're really good. I couldn't keep on your scent trail." Megan complimented Kate.

"Thanks, it's one of the things you learn when becoming an Alpha."

The fours mouths dropped open after she said that. They looked at her like she was the coolest wolf ever.

"You're an Alpha?" Steven asked in awe.

Kate nodded proudly. "Graduated top of my class." She gloated.

"We've heard a lot of stories about Alphas from other wolves who we've met before. You're like a super wolf!"

I rolled my eyes. It sounds like these pups have been getting told stories about over glorified alpha wolves. I'm pretty sure Kate thought the same thing, but she was liking the praise.

"Well, not to brag or anything, but..." I stopped her mid-sentence.

"Oh be quiet, you wet yourself at night until you were five months old. Ms. Super wolf." I teased playfully.

Kate blushed as the pups laughed. I saw that Kate was annoyed that I had brought that up, but I knew she didn't hate me for it. Though, I'm certain she'll find a way to get me back.

After the pups settled down, I suggested that we keep on playing. Everyone agreed and ran back into the grass. I was the first to be found, so I was it.

It took me forever to find everyone, and still didn't find Kate. We continued on playing this for awhile before finally making Kate the stalker after not being found for every round. That didn't do us much better, though. She found all of us in a matter of a couple minutes. So after that we decided to call it quits.

I looked around to see them all with smiles. They had a great time, and that's what I was aiming for. All the pups were talking with each other, occasionally glancing back at Kate and I. I looked over at Kate to see if she noticed this too. She did, but just shrugged it off. She just said it was pups being pups.

Another thing I noticed was that Reed wasn't talking at all. This peaked in intrest in me. Not talking to me is understandable, he's just nervous. But not talking to wolves he's grown up with his entire life? That's just strange.

I decided to try and find this out. So I called out to Kyle and asked for him to come over to me. He quickly jogged over to me.

"We weren't talking about you and Kate." He said quickly.

"I didn't say you were. Nor was I going to accuse you of it." I told him.

"Oh," He said with a nervous laugh.

I decided to just brush it off. Like Kate said, it's just pups being pups. I asked him what was going on with Reed. Why he wasn't talking.

"Oh, that's just Reed," He said like it was nothing. "He just doesn't talk very much. No one knows why, he's just always been like that. We all think it's because he really shy."

I nodded my head. How strange.

"I'm boardddd," I heard Stevin loudly complain.

"Yahh, I want to do something fun." Megan agreed.

"Fine, what do you guys want to do?" I asked.

They looked at each other for a second, then turned to me and shrugged their shoulders. Typical pups.

"I know, I know!" Kyle cheered. "Let's do that thing I saw you guys do yesterday. The thing with the log."

"Ehhh, I don't know." I said nervously, looking at Kate who shared the same look. "Its kind of dangerous."

"So?" Steven asked.

"Yah, so? We laugh in the fave of danger." Kyle said, then he did a little fake laugh.

I thought about it for a second. Kate and I did do it with a lot of ease yesterday. That hill wasn't all that bad. I would take them all on a slow ride a couple of times and we'd be fine. No harm done. So I caved in. I agreed to let them try it. They all cheered, even though only Kyle really knew what to expect.

As we walked over to the hill that Late and I went down, Kate came to my side and asked if I was sure thus was a good idea. I told her that no harm was going to come to any of them. I would make sure of that. She put on a wide grin.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh nothing." She said before going back and talking to the others. More specifically Megan. Which was probably a good thing. She needed another girl to talk to, to get away from whatever her brothers and Kyle talk about.

We didn't have to go very far before we got to the hill. When we did, Kyle ran over to the board that Kate and I had used. He urged us to hurry up, wanting to to this as soon as possible. He must have really thought this was going to be fun. Which it is, especially when you do it like my friends and I do. But that's a little to advanced for them. It took us nearly a while winter to master the basics, along with a few tricks.

I took a step forward and seethed a little. The medicine was starting to ware off a little. Hopefully it woukd hold until we got back to the others so Stacy could give me some more herbs.

I told everyone to grab a part of the sled and help me take it up the hill. They did eagerly and we started climbing the hill. I was lucky to be on these drugs. I'd die if I wasn't.

When we got to the top, I told everyone to hop in. They all did, except for Reed. He looked terrified about it, and didn't seem all to enthusiastic about this. I smiled, I couldn't blame him. Even Kate was a little nervous about doing it.

"How about you stay with Kate and watch first. Then you can see how fun it is and maybe join in next time. Sound like a plan?" I asked. He averted eye contact, but nodded his head.

I climed in with the others and started explaining some of the basics to them. Even though I could tell it was just going over there heads. But they'd learn. Its really not that hard to do. Until you start adding in obstacles.

I decided that on our first time down we'd just go straight. It would be a good start. I pushed off and we quickly started gaining speed. I didn't find anything special about it since I've done this so many times before, but the other three were having a blast. They were hollering and screaming with joy. It put a smile on my face. It felt good to be an older brother.

When we got to the bottom, they immediately jumped out and wanted to do it again. I started climbing out and when I stepped down my eyes shot wide open. I held back a scream and quickly got my weight off my leg. The medicine was wearing off quicker than I had hoped.

"You guys go ahead, Kate will take you down." I told them. They didn't even give me a second thought before they raced up the hill. I wonder if Reed was going to come down thus time. I'd just have to wait and see.

Right now the only thing that was bothering me was my pain. If I hadn't been so stupid and jumped off that cliff then I wouldn't be feeling all this pain. Then again, would I have met anyone else here. Would I have ran into Kyle and Kdin. Would they have taken me to the others. Probably not. I wouldn't know any of these people existed. I wouldn't have met my family. So maybe it was fate that brought us together. And maybe it was just dumb luck.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard the pups starting to scream with excitement. I looked up and saw them flying down the hill. But I didn't see Reed on there. He must still be scared. Oh well, he might try it sooner or later.

My eye suddenly caught something walking out from the bushes a ways down from where the sled was heading. I looked and became wide eyed as I saw Reed walking right in the path of the sled. I screamed for him to get out of the way. He looked up and I saw him freeze in place. He was frozen in fear, and didn't show any signs of moving.

The others tried to scream to get him to move, but he was petrified by the sled coming speeding at him. The others noticed this and tried to steer out of the way, but they had no idea what they were doing. I couldn't let him get hurt.

I ignored the immense pain in my body and began to sprint towards Reed. It was going to be close, the sled was coming in at a much faster rate and I thought for a second that I wasn't going to make it. But, with one final push I got a burst of speed and nearly got Reed out of the way before he was rammed.

I tackled him out of the way and landed on the ground with a loud 'thud'. Below me I could feel Reed shaking uncontrollably.I got off of him and saw him tucked into a ball. It was easy to tell that he was crying, I didn't even have to see his face. Poor thing, I woukd be terrified too if I was him. He was almost killed!

"Are you Ok, Reed?" I asked softly. Still he lied there shaking and sniffling.

"Come on Reed, everything's fine. You're sa..." suddenly Reed jumped up and clung onto me. I was taken back a little from the sudden affection, but realized this is what he needed right now.

I wrapped my paw around tried to settle him down as he cried into my chest. It kind of felt weird, but at the same time it felt right. I just saved my little brother, and he seems really greatful about it.

I looked behind Reed to see Kate and the other three rushing over to us. They slower down when they got near and looked at us with concern. I just motioned for them to leave. I don't think Reed would be happy to see everyone over here. Probably just cause him to be even more nervous and scared than he already was.

It took awhile, but after some time he stopped crying and pulled away from me. His eyes were blood shot and my chest was stained with tears. Not that I minded. Then something I expected even less happened. He spoke.

"Thank you." It was the softest, mist quiet voice I'd ever heard, but it was good to hear it. I smiled and dipped my head in response.

It was starting to get dark and I thought we better get back with the others. So I led Reed to where I last saw them go. Reed walked really close to me, like I would protect him from anything. It gave me a good feeling.

When we made it back to the others, they were sat in a circle looking up into the stary night sky. Kate was pointing up and telling them the different constellations.

"And that one is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky," Kate said. "Its said that the first of the great dire wolves died and became that star. Being there to light up the way for all of wolf kind."

'Wow Kate, you're such a great story telling' I sarcastically thought to myself. But they were pups and seemed really fascinated by the story.

It was Kyle who noticed us first and told the rest. Reed's sibling all ran up to him and asked if he was alright, to which Reed just nodded.

"Glad you're ok, bro. It would be weird without you around." Stevin said, with Megan nodding her head in agreement. Reed smiled when they said this, it was a sweet thing to say.

Megan let out a yawn, and Steven and the rest did the same. There eyes were drooping and it was obvious that they were egsausted.

I said that we should be getting back. They all agreed without complaint. "Just dont tell our parents that Reed almost got killed." I begged. The said that they wouldn't.

"We don't want you to get in trouble. We like you to much." Kyle said. I thanked them, it was good to know that I was on there good side. It would suck to be hated by the only siblings I know.

I don't know how they did it, but about half way back to the den, we were carrying all the pups on our backs. I had Reed and Kyke, while Kate carried Steven and Megan. We walked sided by side as the pups slept on our backs. I saw Kate look over at me and I met her gaze.

"Today has been really fun." She said. I nodded, it has been.

I winced as I stepped wrong. I almost forgot about the pain but now it was coming back to me. Luckily, the den was in sight as it started to really become unbearable.

We walked in and we're immediately greeted by the others. They were all lying I'm a circle and probably having a conversation before we came in. We told the to be quite and said that the pups were asleep. We took the pups and lyed them down in a room in the back of the den.

We got back to the others and Stacy shoved something in my face. I looked down at her paw and saw my medicine.

"I saw the pain on your face when you came in. Luckily, I already had some made up for you." I thanked her and took it.

"So how was your guy's day?" Mom asked. I though back through the whole day. All the fun we had, all the bonding we shared, I loved it. This was one of the best days of my life. Only a couple were better than this.

I smiled, "It was great!"

* * *

 **Well, if you made it this far I thank you for reading this chapter. I don't have much to say this time except thanking for everyone who reviews, it's great to hear what ya'll have to say, so please keep it up.**

 **Peace Out**


	19. Betrayal

**Garth**

I was sat down right outside of Winston den on the edge of the cliff, waiting for him to come out to speak with me. He had told me that he wanted to talk to me before I went on the journey to go and bring back Kate and Humphrey. I had been waiting for nearly an hour. Which isn't at all his fault.

I hadn't got much sleep last night in the first place. It just got to the point where I said 'screw it' and decided to just come outside and wait. Unfortunately, this left me alone with my thoughts. Still my mind was split between uniting the packs or just running away with Lilly to start a life of our own. Running away did sound like a really enticing option, but then I thought of all the guilt I would feel about just leaving the packs. I have wolves that I have befriended and have become quite fond of in my pack. I don't know if I would be able to live with myself if they died because of my decisions.

Then Lilly comes into play. I know it seems childish, immature, and plain out strange, but even though I've known her for a very short time, I would do most anything just to be with her. And I've felt this way ever since I first saw her. A love at first sight. And believe me, I didn't think that such a thing existed. But I was proven wrong, and Lilly stole away my heart.

I just wish my father wasn't so stubborn and prideful. Those things blinded him from the simple solution that he could easily make as pack leader. It just seems like everything in my life has to be complicated, and a lot of it is because of my father.

"You're up early." A beatiful voice said from behind me. I smiled as I saw a white figure sit next to me out of the corner of my eye.

"Morning, Lilly."

We sat for a couple moments in silence. Its not that we didn't know what to say to each other, it's that we couldn't say the things we wanted to out loud without fear of someone hearing us and getting us in trouble with Winston. Honestly, I wanted to bring Lilly in tight, tell her how much I loved her and kiss her. That wouldn't be the smartest thing to do since we're right outside the den from Winston and more terrifyingly, Eve.

"Garth, I wish that we could do something so that we could be together and thar no one will get hurt. But, I see that only one can be a possible outcome. I just want you to know that I will always love you no matter what you choose." I looked over in shock at her. She had tears in her eyes and looked like she was having a hard time saying this.

"I know this can't be easy for you, so I won't hold anything against you."

I didn't know what to say. I hated seeing Lilly like this. So I brought her into a hug and let her cry into me. I did my best to try and calm her down, to get her to stop crying.

"What's going on?"

I turned around to see Winston coming out from his den, looking at us suspiciously. I had to think fast to find an excuse so I didn't have to tell him the truth. I didn't need to be on his bad side.

"Um, Lillys just really depressed about her sister being gone. She came out to tell me to try and bring her back as fast as possible. She got a bit emotional and I was just being a good friend and comforting her." I lied to him. Luckily, he seemed to buy it almost immediately and just shook it off.

He went over to his daughter and gave her a quick hug. "Don't worry sweety, Kate will be back in no time." He reassured her.

"I'm sorry," Lilly said, wiping away the tears. "I just really miss her."

"I know, we all do," Winston sighed.

Lilly and I both dodged a bullet there. I don't know what Winston would have done if he figured out that Lilly and I loved each other. I'd imagine he wouldn't be too pleased with us.

"You know what, Lilly," Winston suddenly said with a growing smile. "Why don't you go with Garth, to go and get Kate. That'll cheer you up. And I know Kate and Humphrey will love the suprise."

"Really? You want me to go with Garth." Lilly seemed shocked, but also excited. Though, something told me she was happy for more than just going to be able to see her sister earlier.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lilly cheered as she tightly hugged her father.

"You're very welcome. But just remember to be careful. It can get dangerous outside the pack. I don't want you getting hurt." Winston explained.

Then he turned to me. "Take good care of my daughter, and bring Kate and Humphrey safely home."

I nodded my head, "Don't worry sir, everything's going to be just fine."

"I'm very thankful for you doing this, for everything." From that, I knew he didn't just mean for going to get Kate and Humphrey. He was also talking about the marriage. I forced myself to smile and told him that it was my pleasure to be able to help.

It was then that I heard the flapping of wings. The three of us looked over and I saw the two birds from earlier. Winston said that this was when we would start our journey. He wished the two of us luck and went back into his den. Probably wanting to get a little more sleep before he had to do all his pack duties.

I looked up at the duck and the goose. It was weird to think that we were really going to be working with them. It is an unusual sight to see a wolf with any other animal. But if Kate had sent them here then she must trust them.

"So you're going to take us to Kate and Humphrey?" I questioned.

"That's right sir, so we better get a move on. We might be able to make it halfway by the time night hits if we start now." The duck said. I nodded and turned to Lillly. She gestured to me that she was ready.

"Well, lead the way."

They took off and started flying south. Lilly and I both followed close behind.

 **Tony**

"sir, sir wake up now." I groaned as I woke up, annoyed that it was so early.

"What is it." I demanded looking, now, at the wolf in front of me. It was Scar, and Claw was close behind him. They looked alarmed.

"You need to come and see this now, Gavin is rallying the pack." He told me.

Instantly I was wide awake and on my feet. "What did you just say?"

"Gavin is trying to get the pack to join him, to attack the west." Claw verified.

I growled deeply. How dare he go against me like this. I was going to have to nock him down a fee notches and remind him who is in charge. What he is doing is an act of treason and I will punish him severely.

I marched out of my den and made my way to where I saw a big crowd gathering. A great amount of noise was erupting from it, and at the center I could hear Gavin preaching out what he thought was to be best.

I didn't stop to listen, I didn't wait to hear anything he had to say. Treason is treason. I snarled Gavin's name and immediately everything went quiet. A path cleared for me straight to Gavin. He didn't seem at all phased by my presence, in fact he looked glad that I showed up.

"What is the meaning of this, Gavin?" I growled.

"I'm just trying to get the pack excited." He defended innocently.

"For what? War? Is that what you really want?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. That is exactly what I want. Its what I've wanted for so very long." He smiled sickly.

"We don't need war, the packs will soon be united. We are so close to peace." I told him.

"You really think that'll work. The east and west have hated each other for a very, very long time. Just throw us all together and you'll have major problems. Fight after fight will break out. Its no way to live."

I said nothing.

"Look around you, Tony. Wolves are dieing left and right. None of us have had a proper meal for weeks. We're all starving and we can't take it anymore. The west has had it too good for too long. Its time the East becomes the superior pack in Jasper."

"You can't be serious," I shouted. "From what you just told me, you don't want food, you want power. You want control. Well news flash! The west would destroy us easily. They out wolf us and out skill us. We are no match for them, and you know it."

Gavin chuckled, "it seems our leader has no confidence in his own pack."

He was really starting to irritate me now. "Wolves are to weak to fight. We don't have the proper nutrition to fight a war. We dont habe the proper anything. Its just a fact."

"Well, it was your family that caused this. That is right, correct?" He questioned. I didn't answer. "Your grandfather doomed us to starvation, and your mother was a failure. You are no different. Your family is nothing but a bad legacy, and I say it ends now." I heard murmurs of wolves, some of who were agreeing with him. I narrowed my eyes at him. Who does this wolf think he is.

"I am still your alpha, and I will not put up with such insolence." I snarled, ready to assert my dominance over this insubordinat little jack ass.

I took a step forward, but was immediately stopped when two wolves steeped in front of Gavin, growling viciously at me.

"Nuh uh, not so fast Tony. You see, I'm not the only one who thinks this. There are plenty of us who think your family's reign needs to come to an end." Gavin was talking louder, letting everyone hear his words.

"This may be true, but I still have loyal followers as well." When I said that, Claw and Scar stepped in front of me.

Gavin chuckled, "You'll still be outnumberrd Winston. Because I have a solution to a problem that's been around for too long. Now, I'll let you stay and won't kill you on one condition. You step down as head alpha and appoint me as it."

"Never. My family has ruled this pack for ages. I will not be the last." I snarled.

"What a shame," Gavin smiled. "Looks like I'll have to take it by force." He then whistled. Out from the crowed came many wolves. I looked at them in shock. Most of these wolves I've known since they were pups. I've trainee a lot of them. Some stayed back, but most joined Gavin's side. Most of the ones that stayed loyal to me were the elders or others I knew personally. And then there was also Scar and Claw.

"Kill Winston and anyone who still follows him." Gavin commanded. I knew I was screwed if I just stayed here. I had to think fast.

"Everyone, to the west." I yelled to all those who still stayed by my side.

We all took off running and Gavin's wolves immediately gave chase to us. This wasn't good. I hope that Winston won't mind a few more wolves in his pack. I howled on thr run, signaling to Winston thst I was on my way, and to bring a lot of his wolves.

Behind me I could hear the snarling of the perusing wolves. I made a mistake and looked behind me, only to see two elder wolves get taken down and killed. I swallowed back a sob. Those guys had been good friends growing up. Now they've been killed by their own pack. It was a horrifying thought. They had probably passed each other dozens of times a day and then they killed them. Gavin was going to pay for what he has done.

A few more wolves in my group were picked off before we finally made it to the pack divide. Waiting for us were Winston and a little over two dozen wolves. I sighed with relief, I had made it. But, before we could cross, Winston stopped us.

"What's the meaning of this Tony." He didn't sound to happy to see me.

"I've been betrayed Winston. And now I'm the most wanted wolf of the east, along with all if these wolves. Please, help us." I begged. It was a long shot, I knew, but it is the best thing I can do for these few wolves who have stayed loyal to me.

Winston thought for a few moments, having a silent debate with himself. But in the end, he told us to come over. And just in time too. When the last of my group got over the stream, Gavin's wolves busted through the trees. Gavin was nowhere to be seen. What a coward.

The group looked alarmed to see the western wolves here who stood looking towards them with killer eyes and vicious growls. They said nothing and all walked back into the forest, knowing there was nothing more than they could do.

I was about to turn to Winston, to thank him, but all of a sudden a deep pain came from my back right thigh. I looked back to see a giant gash, and it was loosing a lot of blood fast. I didn't even feel this happen.

I looked over at Winston and said, "Well, shit."

Then the blood loss got to me. I collapsed on the ground and my vision began to fade. The last thing a saw was three figures standing over me. One of which, being Winston.


	20. Fate is Cruel

**Lilly**

I am so glad my dad let me come with Garth. Already, this has become one of the best trips I've ever taken. Being able to be alone with Garth was awesome. There was no one around except for those birds and they were flying quite a distance ahead of us. So they wouldn't be able to hear us anyway. And that was probably for the best. We didn't need them blabbing out about us to anyone.

Right now Garth was just showering me in compliments. I was helpless to his flattery. It made me feel good, to have someone talk to me like this. Its never happened before, so this felt especially good.

We had been gone for a couple of hours. It was close to mid-day and we showed no signs of slowing down. We did stop once, about an hour after we left. Garth and I didnt eat before we left and we both were hungry. So we took a little break to eat. But besides that, these two birds seemed to be in a hurry, and I don't know why. Probably something my dad said to them. There was no way they knew about the impeding war, unless told by my father or even possibly Kate. Though, I wished we took our time a little.

I was in no hurry to get back to the packs, or to even get to Kate. Finding her would mean that Garth and I couldn't really do much around each other without raising the suspicion of both Kate and Humphrey. I had no idea how Kate would react if she found out Garth and I had a thing going on between us. She seemed pretty fixated on him when I last saw her at the howl with him. The only good thing would be that I know that Garth would only pretending that he was in love with her if they married. It would just suck to know that he was actually suffering through the marriage.

That's why I want this trip to go and find Kate to last as long as possible. That would give Garth and I plenty of time to be alone together and not have to deal with anyone else. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see my sister again. But she sounds safe, so she can wait. Right now, Garth was my main focus.

It soon dawned on me that I was not conditioned to run this far this fast. I began to become short of breath. I started panting hard and slowed down a little, falling behind Garth. He looked back at me with amusement.

"Does the little princess need a break?" He playfully mocked.

"Shut up, not everyone runs like you." I rasped out.

He chuckled and told me he'd take care of it. He called to the birds and told them we needed a little break. Then he asked if they could go and find some source of water. They said of course and took back off. This left Garth and I alone for who knows how long.

I sat down for a second, trying to catch my breath. While Garth didn't even look like he broke a sweat. Stupid alphas and there conditioned bodies. Though, its Garths body that first caught my attention. His perfect build, and neatly kept fur was all it took to send me over the edge of the love boat.

We made a little small talk to fill the time, and not long after they left, the two birds returned and said that they had found a small lake not to far from here. We walked behind them not really wanting to run right now. Fortunately, it wasn't that long of a walk. In no time, we were drinking the refreshingly cold water from the lake.

I stopped drinking for a second and looked at the birds. "Thanks you two. We appreciate this," I told them.

"Its our pleasure miss," the duck started. "Just helping out a new friend." The goose smiled.

It was then I realized that I didn't even know these two's name. How rude of me. So I asked and was told that the goose's name is Marcel and the ducks name is Paddy.

"Well, like Lilly said, we're thankful for you doing this. Our packs our in your debts." Garth said with a little bow of the neck. The two responded by doing the same thing.

I saw that Garth was going to say something else, but he snapped his head off towards the right and perked hid ears right. This wasn't a good sign.

"What is it?" I whispered softly.

"I don't know, I just thought I heard something." He replied.

Something wasn't sitting well with me now. I felt as though I was being watched. I gazed around until my eyes fell upon a dark figure in the bushes. I gulped and tapped on Garths shoulder. He turned towards me and looked towards where I pointed.

His fur on his back raised and he stepped in front of me protectively. Just then, about five wolves came out from nowhere and trapped us. We must have stumbled into pack without even noticing. A dumb, stupid mistake on our part.

One stepped out in front of the others. "Well, well, well, looks like we got ourselves a couple of trespassers."

 **Kate**

I think I've found the best possible feeling in the world. There are plenty of good feelings out there, like jumping into cool water on a hot day, or being a pup and getting your belly scratched. But, being able to wake up in the warm embrace of the one you love, I don't think there can be a better feeling. Being cuddled closely next to him was enough to bring a bright smile to my face.

It was just Humphrey and I right now, in this den. The others had left late last night, with the pups in deep sleep. They were all so great and cute. And it seems that one has taken quite an intrest in Humphrey. His younger brother Reed. After that little incident yesterday, Reed stuck by Humphrey's side and even slept on his back on our way back to the den. It could be nothing, but I think I see a strong brotherly bond there.

I flipped over, making it so Humphrey and my muzzles were touching, increasing the greatness of this moment. I could honestly stay here forever. But, unfortunately, only moments later Humphrey's eyes started to flutter open. It took him a second to notice and comprehend what we were doing, but when he did he smiled and gave me a small lick on the nose. I giggled and licked his nose back.

He looked as though he was going to say something, but he stopped himself. His eyes got very wide, then he squeezed them shut as tight as they would go. His face cringed and ge bit down hard on nothing. I reeled back quickly and stood up over him, asking him if he was ok. He didn't answer. Instead he started go scream and wail in pain, rolling back in forth in one spot and hyperventilating.

I stood there in shock, not knowing what to do for a second. This was a terrifying sight and my mind just drew a blank. All I could think about was how much pain Humphrey must be going through.

I snapped myself out of it and knew what I had to do. I rushed out of the den and sprinted towards the den used by the others. I needed Stacy, and I needed her now. I hated leaving Humphrey all alone like this, but this was the fastest way to get her back to Humphrey.

I busted into there den and immediately shouted out Stacy's name. Everyone had still been asleep, so at the sudden loud noise they shot up and looked at me threateningly. Once they saw who I was they calmed down. But they knew something was wrong just by looking at me. It wasn't hard since my eyes were full of tears and I was panting like a mad wolf.

"What's wrong, Kate?" Stacy asked, alarmed.

"Its Humphrey," I cried out. "There's something wrong with him. Please he needs help now," I shouted.

"Alright, calm down. Now take me to him." She said. And just like that I was running back to Humphrey with Stacy hot on my heels. And I'm pretty sure that I saw his parents come out of the den too.

We raced back towards the den, and long before we even got there I could hear the painful screams of Humphrey echoing through the air. It made me cringe every time I heard it.

When we got there, Humphrey was still rolling around. Tears soaked his face. I felt so helpless, I wish that I could do something to ease his pain, but I don't think I could do anything. That's why I got Stacy.

She went over to Humphrey's side and began trying to talk to him.

"Humphrey, Humphrey, listen to me." She shouted. But she got no responce, only screams.

"Come on Humphrey, you got to tell me what's wrong," she persisted.

"It hurts, it hurts everywhere." He cried out. He continued to say that and would stop. _It hurts, it hurts, it hurts_ was the only thing echoing through the cave. Stacy looked like she had no idea what to do.

"I'm sorry Humphrey," she suddenly said, and then brought down her paw hard on his head, knocking him out in an instant. Immediately the den went quiet. I wanted to shout at Stacy, yell at her for hurting him. But in all honesty, that was probably the best thing to do.

Stacy looked down at him with pitty and shook her head. That probably wasn't too good of a sign.

"What caused this Kate?" She asked.

"I, I don't know. He just woke up and started freaking out." I told her.

She nodded her head. "My guess is that a giant wave of pain came over him and he had some sort of panic attack. That didn't help him much." She said aloud, but mostly to herself.

She started feeling around Humphrey's body. Every once and a while I would see her face tense up and Humphrey's body would twitch a little. During this time I walked over to Jake and Kaley. Kaley looked like she wanted to cry, while Jake held her tight and kept whispering words of comfort to her.

"He's going to be ok, he always ends up being ok." I whispered to myself. But it seems not quietly enough.

"What do you mean?" Kaley asked.

I smiled. "Humphrey's always had an act for hurting himself. I mean, with all the crazy things he does it would be a miracle if he hadn't hurt himself over the years," I chuckled. "But he always seems to get better very quickly."

I looked and saw Kaley smiling at me. "You really love him, don't you?"

I blushed a little, it was weird getting asked this by his parents. But I ended up nodding my head. "I don't know what my life would be without him in it. All my greatest memories have him." It was true, it seems Humphrey's always been there. Through the thick and thin of our friendship, I could always count on Humphrey being there by my side. I guess it's not much of a shocker that this is the wolf I fell in love with.

Stacy walked over from Humphrey with a grim look. I gulped, that couldn't be a good sign. I just hoped that, out of everything, he wasn't... no, I couldn't think like that. I had to stay positive for him. We all sat and waited for what Stacy had to say.

"Its not looking good," she sighed. "Its a lot worse then I first thought. It seems a small fracture caused some internal bleeding. Humphrey... he's dying slowly and painfully."

I chocked back a sob and I heard Kaley start bawling. This couldn't be happening. I just got him. We were going to become mates, have pups of our own and watch them grow up as we grew old. This wasn't fair, how could fate be so cruel to so this to us.

"I'd say he has about two weeks tops to live. But it won't be pleasant. He'll be in immense pain the whole time." I think Stacy hated herself for saying these things. How hard it is to tell the parents and the lover of a wolf that he's dying.

"Is there nothing you can do?" Kaley chocked out.

"I'm sorry, but no. We wolves aren't very advanced when it comes to all this medical stuff." She was going to say something else, but hesitated.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"There is one way that Humphrey may be able to survive." She said slowly. We all urged her to go on.

"The only things that o know of that would be able to bring Humphrey back with a full recovery is, well... you're not going to like it."

"Just spit it out!" Kaley barked aggressively.

Kaley sighed. "Humans. That's the only way Humphrey will live." She stated.

We were all taken back. Humans? Out of all the species in this world, the only way for Humphrey was to survive was to give him to humans.

"How do you know they can help?" I asked.

"I've seen it before. Friends have been taken in and fixed up. A couple months later they said they were released and came back home. They said that the rangers are the ones who would help them." Stacy explained.

I nodded my head. Everyone knew what a ranger was. There probably the only humans that wolves trust. Its said tgat they help keep wolves safe from people like poachers. The only time that they get on our nerves is when they decide to relocate us.

But it still sounded risky. A couple of months is a long time. A lot can happen in that time. I probably wouldn't even still be here by the time he got better. But, I couldn't seem to think of a better solution.

"That sounds like the best way to do this." I sighed.

Stacy nodded. "We'll have to do it soon. The longer he stays untreated, the more chance he has of dying."

* * *

 **It seems things have taken a turn for the worse for our four wolf friends. Garth and Lilly have found them selfs captured in unknown territory and Humphrey is on the brink of death. Not good for any of them, especially Humphrey who's kind of dying.**

 **Sorry for the long delay, I've been busy with life. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave a review.**

 **Peace Out**


	21. Pack Secrets

**Garth**

I stood protectively in front of Lilly as five wolves emerged from the treeline of the forest. I growled a little, warning them not to get closer. Though, it was an empty threat. They could take me out no problem with five of them. Still, I needed to stand my ground, and protect Lilly.

One of them stepped forward, the group leader I presumed. I growled a little louder when I thought he had come far enough. He just passed it off as nothing. Obviously he wasn't afraid of me. At least not with his group.

"Well, well well, looks like we got ourselves a couple of trespassers."

I mentally slapped myself. We were in someone else's territory. I didn't even smell any of the scent markers. It was stupid od me to allow this to happen. Now Lilly and I were in trouble for it.

Then the leader did something I didn't expect. He rolled hid eyes, I'm guessing at himself, and lightly hit himself. What was going on here.

"Well that sounded a little dramatic." He laughed at himself, along with the others.

"I'm sorry about that," He apologized. "I didn't mean to sound hostile."

I narrowed my eyes at all of them. This could easily be a trick, trying to allow us to let our guard down and then strike at the perfect moment. But I saw no sign if trickery, nor did he sound like he meant any harm. My gut was telling me that I could trust them. So I listened.

"Its no problem. We should have been more careful anyway. It was dumb of us to stumble into here." I told him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Its an honest mistake. Wolves do it all the time."

"Right, so I guess we'll just be on our way then." I said, hoping they'd just let us go. Unfortunately, that's not what I got.

"Sorry, but we are going to have to bring you to our head Alpha. Its just rules. If he found out we just let some trespassers go, he'd be furious with us."

That's what I was fearing he would say. We have the same rule back in the east. I growled silently in annoyance. This was going to delay our trip a little.

"Don't worry, our pack leader will probably just talk to you for a second and then send you on your way. It won't take too long." He assured me with a smile.

I sighed and nodded. Might as well get this over with now and not waste anymore time. I looked up into the trees at Paddy and Marcel. They just nodded there heads. I'm guessing they were going to keep a watch on us from above. That was good, because then after we are done talking to this guy we could leave immediately.

The five wolves stepped aside as the leader walked past, then waited until Lilly and I followed until they started to follow. They were making sure we didn't try to run away. That would be a dumb thing to do. They'd easily catch us, and we'd be in even more trouble then we are now. Its just better to get this over with.

Lilly walked close to me, slightly shaking. Obviously, she was afraid of what was happening right now. She hadn't been trained for these kind of things. It was a rare thing for omegas to ever leave the pack, and it was for this very reason. Not trying to make fun of her or omegas, but they hardly know any survival skills. They know the basics from learning them as pups, but other than that Lilly wasn't meant for these kinds of things.

I leaned over to her and whispered to calm down and that everything was going to be fine. I told her that it was highly unlikely they would try and hurt us. And if they did, I wouldn't let them lay a paw on her. That calmed her down.

It wasn't long until we started passing by other wolves of the pack. Most would give a quick glance at us before going about there day. Some stopped and stared, I guess intrigued by an outsider. I don't know, but it weirded me out. But I stayed calm. That's rule number one in any situation like this, just stay calm.

The lead wolf eventually told his other four wolves to go when we got to the front of a den.

"Well, here we are. Come on in." He said.

We walked in as he called out. "Hey dad, I got some wolves you need to talk to."

So this was the leaders son. Honestly I can say I did not see that coming. He seems a little to layed back to be. Then again, he might not be the oldest. If that was the case, then he didn't have to worry about trying to prepare to be like the next leader of his pack. Unlike me, were I have to be serious almost all of the time. I never had the pleasure of slacking off or relaxing.

"Who is it? I don't have anyone scheduled." I heard an older voice say from the back of the den.

"We have some suprise visitors." He said as an older white wolf came into sight.

"I see. I'm guessing these wolves accidentally stumbled into the pack?" He asked, causing his son to nod his head.

"Alright. I'm just going to ask you a few questions. If I like them, I'll let you leave." He said. It made me nervous that he didn't explain what would happen if he didn't like our answers.

"First, why are you both out here?" He asked. Though, he didn't seem to really care. His question was distant and indifferent.

"We were sent to pick up some high value wolves down in the states. They were taken by humans and we need them." I decided that telling the truth would get us out of here the fastest. If he caught me lying he might keep me here longer, and we didn't need that.

My answer, though, seemed to catch his attention. "Is that so?" He asked. I nodded.

"Where are you fine wolves from now?"

"The eastern and western packs of Jasper." I told him.

He put a look of suprise on. "Really? Jasper huh. Say, is Tony still running the east up there?" He questioned curiously.

I nodded my head, "Yeah, has been for quite some time now. Why? Do you know him?"

He nodded his head. "We worked together a few years back. Haven't heard anything from him in awhile though."

This actualy suprised me a little. Dad never talked about working with another pack. The west is the only pack he's ever tried to work with. At least to my knowledge.

"Where exactly are we?" I asked.

"You are in one of the main packs of Banff and The Glacier pack." He told me. Since when did those two packs join together. I could have sworn they were enimies. I'd have to get my facts right later.

"You know, you look a little familiar." He said to me.

"I wouldn't know why," I said,"I've never seen you before in my life."

"No, we haven't." He said getting a little closer. "But I'd know those eyes from anywhere." He commented with a smile. This made me a little uncomfortable.

"A little rude to not tell me you're Tony's son." He said. I looked at him in shock. How could he have ever guessed that. There was no way he could have known. My dad and I look nothing alike. Before I could ask anything, he answered.

"You have your mom's eyes. Oh she was such a wonderful wolf. That must mean that you're Garth then. Yes, we've met before. But you were very young, barley able to walk." He chuckled.

I didn't know what to say. He knew my mother, my father and me. Yet, I've never heard of this wolf. Why would this wolf say he worked with my dad and but never tell me about him. It didn't make much sence to me.

"I don't understand." I said. "How do you know my family?"

"Oh, our families have been working closely together for a few generations now," He explained. "Hasn't your father ever told you this?" When I just looked back at him blankly, he got his answer.

"I see, well I guess I should explain then."

"It goes back a couple Generations ago. This was when my my grandfather and your great-grandfather were ruling over the packs. A giant war between Banff and The Glacier Pack lasting seven years had just ended. A peace was made but our packs were in a bad way. Food was scarce because all our prey was scared off due to the fighting. Wolves were starving. So my grandfather and the leader of Banff sent a couple wolves north to look for help."

"The first pack they came upon was that of the Eastern Pack of Jasper. When your great-grandfather heard of our predicament he agreed to help. Unfortunately, word got out to the west. When they heard this they became frightened and angry because they thought we were forming an alliance. They threatened to attack. Banff and Glacier were in no shape to fight, and the east was to small at the time. So he made a plan. He set up fake parties and invited packs from all over. When we came, he secretly gave us supplies to take back to our packs."

"This happened for a long while. All the way down through your father. Your pack helped us get back on our paws. We grew stronger every year and eventually things seemed to be back to normal before the war. Then, your father suddenly stopped all communications with us. He stopped coming to annual meetings and we haven't heard from him in about a year and a half. Fourtunetly, by then the herds of deer and caribou came back and we were well set from there."

I looked at the ground in disbelief. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, all the things I had ever been told about why we're starving was a lie. I used to go on rants about how terrible a wolf my great-grandfather was and how much I hated him for being so selfish and damming our pack. My dad would just sit there and listen. But he knew the truth. My great-grandfather was actually a savior to these wolves. It was hard to belive.

"I'm guessing your father told you none of this." I shook my head.

"I guess he saw that was the best thing." He said. "But would you have any clue as to why he would stop talking with our packs?"

I thought back to a year and a half ago. Two major things happen around that time. One, was the death of my mom and secondly, that's when the plan for Kate and I to marry was first mentioned.

So I explained that to him. He seemed a little distraught at hearing about the death of my mother. Then he seemed suprised by the marriage.

"Why now. I mean your packs have hated each other for as long as any of us can remember." He pointed out.

"The east is out of food." I told him. "We have been for quite some time." I explained.

He looked speachless. "I guess we'd been giving you food even when we had so little to the point when we had nothing. And when we had nothing, I guess my dad just had to cut you guys off."

He stood there for a second, not saying a word. Then, unexpectedly, he started to cry a little. He quickly wiped the tears away.

"I knew your pack was generous and good. But I never knew it was to this extent. Our packs are forever in your debt." He said with a bow.

I didn't want to cause an argument, mostly because we had already been here a long time. So I just dipped my head in responce.

"My name is John, by the way. Tell your father I said hi when you see him, would you?"

I told him I would. I then said that we really had to get going. We were already behind schedule. He apologized and told us to go on our way as he wished us luck. He also said that we were always welcome to come back. I thanked him, and Lilly and I were escorted out by John's son.

Even he thanked me for what my pack had done before I was even born. I just passed it off as nothing and told him it was nothing. I was really just trying to hurry out of there. Not that I didn't like it, but we were already way behind schedule.

Johns son took us to the border before seeing us off. He said goodbye as Lilly and I took off. I had almost forgotten she was even there.

Luckily we didn't have to go far before we met back up with Marcel and Paddy. Immediately, we started running again. We would have to try and make up for lost time.

As we ran, I thought back to what I had learned. And no mater what I thought about, I couldn't help but feel a new respect for our pack. It put a smile on my face.


	22. Alphas and Omegas?

**Winston**

If things weren't already bad, they sure as hell are now. Things went from bad to worse in a moments notice of time. Firstly, Tony's wounded and is passed out in my den bleeding all over, that is until Eve got him pached up. I don't think we'll be able to get the stench of blood out of our den for awhile. Secondly, I have a giant group of eastern wolves in my territory. Luckily, they're under supervision and hopefully won't cause any trouble.

All of that might be the least of my worries, though. If I understood Tony right, then there are a bunch of rouge eastern wolves. I don't know their intentions, but I can only guess that they are not good. I'm still mostly in the dark about all of this, so I would have to question Tony about it when he woke up.

In a way, I felt bad for Tony. Being driven out if your pack by the wolves you rule over, I couldn't imagine what he must feel. I'd probably be furious with myself and at those wolves. Luckily, I'm not the one who was exiled from my pack.

"Sir." I heard someone call from behind me. I turned around to see that it was Hutch and Candu, and they looked on edge.

"What is it you two, is everything alright?"

They glanced nervously at each other. "Not exactly." Candu said.

"Words gotten out that there are Eastern wolves staying in the pack. Not a lot of wolves are very happy about this, as you can imagine. Wolves are starting to get edgy and paranoid. Between the talk about wolves here and rouges on the loose... let's just say there are some who are not thinking straight." Hutch explained. As I listened, I thought of ways to try and calm down the pack, tell them everything was going to be fine.

"Triple the boarder patrol and give me ten more wolves supervising our visitors. If the east is planning something, we will not be taken off guard by it." The two nodded and I sent them off.

I watched as they walked down the ramp from my den and off towards where the Alphas usually hang out around. As my gaze followed them, I got pulled from them over towards an omega couple and there pups. I smiled, I knew the parents well and was glad that they could finally start a family after trying for so long. They must of had them during the winter months while I was gone teaching at alpha school. My smiled soon turned into a frown, as looking at these pups caused me to think of my own.

I have done some things that I am not proud of with my children. Not giving them the attention they deserve, being away for long periods of time, and so much more. But the one that hurts the most, was me basically giving Kate to a wolf she didn't even know exsisted, let alone loved. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time, the only thing to do. But as of lately, the guilt has been eating from the inside and I can't help but hate myself for it. I know I would have to apologize to her.

I sighed and decided I should go and check on Tony to see if he's up yet. I got up and walked into my den seeing Tony still unconscious. Sat on either side of him was two of his wolves I knew as Claw and Scar. I recognized them as the Eastern wolves who not only ruined Kates first hunt but also got into a fight with my wolves. I decided it would be best if I not bring that up now. I had bigger problems than that at the moment.

The two were talking when I entered, but stopped when they saw me. They looked nervous to see me. Though I don't know why they would be, unless they were plotting something.

"Still nothing?" I questioned.

The two shook their heads silently. They were afraid of me.

"I need some answers, and hopefully you two can shed some light for me."

They looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation. In the end they just nodded there heads.

"Ok, how did this begin?" I asked. They then proceeded to explain to me that all this started because of a crazy wolf named Gavin. They told me that he would always be giving ideas on how to attack us, the west. But they never really listened to him and didn't see him as much of a threat. Unknown to them though, Gavin was gaining a following of wolves. Then today he finally snapped and well I can guess the rest.

I thanked them for the information. I don't know whether I can trust them yet or not. This still could all be one big plot to destroy us. That's why I have my whole pack on high alert. Nothing will get us by suprise.

We turned towards Tony as he started to groan. He slowly lifted his head up and looked around the room. Once he got to me, he stared me down. He looked very confused and worried for a second. I was going to ask if he was alright, but I didn't get to before he suddenly let of a scream of anger and slammed his paw on the hard ground. I thinks he's a little pissed off.

"That son of a bitch." He yelled while quickly getting to his paws. Only to be met with pain in his back left leg. He cursed under his breath before trying to get up again.

"Tony, you need to calm down." I told him.

"Calm down?" He said softly. "You want me to calm down after what just happened?!" He shouted furiously. His eyes glowed with hatred, yet they also seemed tired. I sort of felt bad for the wolf.

I was unfazed by his shouting, but still a little annoyed. He seemed to sence this and took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"I'm sorry Winston, I was out of line." He apologized as he lyed back down with a cringe of pain. "Its just hard..." He didn't finish his statement. But I knew what he wanted to say.

"Winston." He called after awhile of silence. "I don't think Kate and Garth should marry anymore." I looked at him in suprise, I was not expecting him to say that. Tony's not one for going back in plans, and this is a pretty huge plan that we put in motion a long time ago.

"Why the sudden change?" I asked.

"What's the point?" He asked. "I don't have any power over my pack anymore, our packs would still hate each other even with the unity, and Garth has feelings for another."

"Feeling for someone else? Who?" I asked.

Tony seethed like he didn't want to say that. "You weren't supposed to know that last part." He stated with regret.

"Well I do, so I'd really like to know who." I told him. He mumbled something out that I couldn't hear. "Don't be childish, Tony." I growled.

"Fine." He sighed. "Its your other daughter." He said. I looked blankly at him. Did he just say what I think he said. I heard the other two wolves try and hold back a laugh, not very well though.

"How do you know this?" I asked. He must be mistaken, he has to be.

"He told me himself. Said that he could unite the packs with Lilly instead of Kate." He explained. "I thought he was joking at first, but when I saw he wasn't... let's just say I got angry with him. But now..."

"Now, what?" I questioned, already knowing what he was going to answer.

"I- I don't know. I've been such a bad father. I already know my son hates me and wishes that I was out of his life. I just want to make him happy once. And if that's letting him marry who he wants, then so be it. With you and your mates consent, of course."

Honestly, I didn't know what to say. I didn't expect this, especially not from Tony. And to have his son in love with my daughter. Now that I think about it, Lilly has been acting strange. I guess I should have seen it, especially when she begged to come with me to go and see Garth and Tony. She hates going to things like that. How could I have been so blind as to not see this developing right in front of me.

Its carazy, an alpha and an omega together. It just doesn't seem natural. Its been against pack law since the first packs were formed. It was meant to bring order and discipline to the pack. But, that was so long ago made by wolves who lived in a different time. Wolves have matured from then. The world has changed. It is possible that we can make this work. Maybe.

"I'll have to consult with my mate. And then if she agrees, I'll have to go to the pack. Laws just can't be repealed like that. Wolves will get mad, and things might go bad." I said to him.

He nodded his head. He then smiled and let out a small chuckle. "Its crazy to even be thinking this. We'd be one of the first packs, to my knowledge, to go against such a powerful ancient law."

"Indeed, it's not something to take lightly. We need to be careful with this." I told him.

He agreed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm really tired and would like to get some sleep." He said. I motioned for the other two wolves to follow me out, leaving Tony to get some rest.

I brought Claw and Scar out of the den and faced them. I told them that everything we discussed was not to be spread around the pack. We don't need even more trouble than we have. Besides, I still had to convince myself of this.

I then sent them away so that I could be alone to think. There was one particular thing that kept coming into my thoughts no matter how much I tried to push it away. It was an old memory of something, well more like someone that used to be very close to me. Now regret filled me as I thought about him. Regret that I had suppressed for so many years.

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard Hutch call to me. I turned towards him and saw that he had tears in his eyes.

"Hutch, what's wrong." I asked worried.

"Its those rouge eastern wolves, they attack our patrol. They killed three and injured two before being driven off. Those bastards, they killed Candu."

It was then that the seriousness of this situation finally became clear. These rouges weren't going to mess around, and they have just shown that. Well, they've messed with the wrong pack. They just declared war on us and I am not going to have mercy on these pests.

I turned to Hutch who was red in the eyes, both from the tears but also from rage, and told him to get me the pack. Soon, all hell was going to break loose.

* * *

 **First off, I want to apologize for the delayed chapter. Things have been a little hectic with school and sports and I've just been too egsausted to write for long. I hope that this chapter makes up for it.**

 **The talk of repealing the alpha omega law is going to make some couples happy. That is of course if Humphrey lives to get back to Jasper.**

 **Also the war starting between the rouges and the west. I can assure you that the next couple of chapters will be great.**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave a review, it would mean a lot to me.**

 **Peace Out**


	23. Goodbye Humphrey

**Kate**

A few days have passed since the incident with Humphrey. The whole situation still sent shivers down my spine. The memories of his screams and wails of pain just made me quiver. Humphrey was dying. There is no sugar coating something like this. I wish that I could. I wish that I could say that Humphrey would be better in no time, that we didn't have to go through with this plan, yet here we were.

I sat behind some bushes with Jake, Cecil, Kdin, Stacy and of course Humphrey. He was still knocked out from a ton of herbs that Stacy has given him the past couple of days to help dull down the pain as best as she could. But I knew he was still in pain, even in sleep. I could see his face scrunch up every now and then.

In front of us was a large human facility that Stacy and Kdin had found earlier while scouting out the area. They actually found a Ranger first and tracked him back to this place. This is where we were going to make the drop. Hopefully, these humans could help Humphrey and save him. I need him in my life. Without him, I'm going to have a giant hole in my heart that I doubt would ever be filled.

Humphrey did know what we were going to do, at least we think he does. We decided that it be best to tell him so he doesn't think we abandoned him, or so he just wouldn't freak out. But we're not sure he got all of it. When we woke him up, be was not drugged up and was feeling an excruciating amount of pain. We quickly told him what we were planning to do, telling him we were going to hand him over to some rangers to make him better. I didn't give him any time to answer because I was done seeing him in so much pain. So after we got done explaining I quickly knocked him back out to put him out of his pain. Hopefully he understood what I said.

"Its now or never, you guys." Kdin said. Humphrey's dad, as well as I, took a long deep breath. This was going to be hard. It was already hard enough for Kaley, that's why she wasn't here. She couldn't watch her son be taken away from her again, even if it was for a good reason. Looking over at Jake, he didn't seem to be handling it very well either. He tried to keep it together, but it was obvious how destroyed he was on the inside. The quivering lip and the occasional tears didn't help him either. But what would you expect. I couldn't imagine losing a child, twice.

I walked over to Jake and put a paw on his shoulder. He looked up and locked eyes with me. "You don't have to do this. I- I can do this alone." I told him. He looked like he wanted to protest. But in the end he just nodded his head, depressed. I understood, though, and didn't hold it against him.

I walked over to Humphrey's passed put body. It looked so lifeless. He had already drastically lost weight from lack of eating, and his fur was becoming dull. He needed the help.

Kdin and Cecil helped put Humphrey on my back while the otherror two sat back and watched. We all looked at each other for a moment, not talking but knowing what we were all thinking. Finally, I took a deep breath and stepped out from the bushes and made my way over to the human structure.

I crept silently around towards the front. I peaked around the corner to make sure that no one was there. No one.

I quickly walked over to what Stacy had told me to be the entrance. When I reached it, I carefully lyed Humphrey on the ground getting a small grunt when he hit the ground. I sighed sadly as I looked down at him. This might be the last time I ever see him. It wasn't a guarantee that Humphrey would live through this. It was either this or let him die anyway. This was our only chance of trying to save him.

I leaned down towards him and gave him one final kiss on the cheek.

"I love you Humphrey, I hope you know that." I whispered silently. He moaned a little in his sleep before mumbling out some words. I knew what he was trying to say.

Reluctantly, I went to the big piece of wood that Kdin said was a door. I slowly raised my paw up to the door and stayed there for a second. My whole body then became shaky. My breathing increased and I knew that something was going to go wrong. But I needed to take the chance.

I knocked on the door and then sped off to the closet bush I could find. I dove into it and looked back to where Humphrey was. I waited for a second before I heard the door start to open. Then stepped out a tall skinny white man who wore brown clothing. He looked around for a second before resting his eyes on Humphrey. He seemed suprised for a second, guess he wasn't expecting a special wolf delivery.

I saw him take out sometime and began talking into it. When he put it away he went over to Humphrey and examined him. Once he saw that Humphrey was incapacitated and unable to hurt him, he picked him up and returned into the building.

It was then that my mind comprehended what had gone on. I just saw Humphrey taken away and tgat might be the last time I ever see him. My legs became shaky and my lip started to quiver. I broke down right there, collapsing onto the ground and sobbing into my paws.

"Please, Humphrey, please just come back to me."

* * *

 **Another chapter done, and another on its way. I'm really liking how this has come together. Honestly, if it's not obvious, I come up with a lot of this on the spot. There are very few ideas of mine that I have thought through. I'm suprised I do this well.**

 **Thanks for everyone who has read, reviewd, favorited, and followed so far. I appreciate all of you for being there.**

 **Again, thanks for reading and please leave a review.**

 **Peace Out**


	24. Mercenary

**Garth**

"Come on Lilly, run faster! He's gaining on us!" I shouted as we sprinted through the thicket of the forest. I kept glancing back occasionally only to get a glimpse of of black blur zooming away from my vision. He was trying to keep out of my sight, and he was doing a great job of it.

I heard a cawing from above and knew that there was no way to escape this mad wolf even if we tried. The damn bird would be able to spot us anywhere we went and we could do nothing about it.

With each passing minute, I knew that our persuer was thinning the distance between us. Why didn't he just take us out already. Obviously he was fast enough to catch up with us, this I knew. But why was he waiting. He knew something and was playing it to his advantage.

I looked back to see Lilly slightly falling behind. Could this be what he was planning. He knew that Lilly is an omega and is probably waiting for her to fall behind. I couldn't let that happen.

Unfortunately, something much worse happened. We breached out of the forest and came to the ending of a large cliff. I peaked down to see the crashing water of rapids and jagged rocks far below us. Great, now we're stuck between a cliff and a killer. This day just couldn't get any better!

Behind me, I heard a wolf come off from a run and into a walk. Lilly gasped and I knew he was here.

"Hello again."

I turned around to see the wolf with a wicked grin, the wolf that was going to kill us.

 **Earlier That Day**

It was such a beatiful day. The mid day sun was shining it's warm rays down on both Lilly and I. It was a wonderful feeling. It was so great that Lilly and I decided to lye down for awhile. We'd been walking for quite awhile now. We had decided to take some time rather than rushing our way there. We could do that on the way back. Right now Lilly and I wanted to enjoy the scenery. Which was also quite beautiful.

The beatiful new leaves of spring grew lushly from the trees, as gorgeous flowers sprung from the ground. I'd never, in my life, stopped to take a look at the world around me. I never before had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the world. Now that I am, I'm mesmerize by what I've seen. I had to thank Lilly for opening my eyes to the world.

"Its getting a little hot, don't yah think?" Lilly asked. I nodded my head in agreement. The day did start getting warmer.

"You think you'd be up for a swim?" She asked with a smile.

"Sure, sounds good to me!" I exclaimed. I stuck my nose into the air seeing if I could catch the scent of any nearby water source. I did get something and its not that far away, it's even in the direction we need to go in. I told her to follow me as I started running towards the water.

At the first sight of the water I dove straight in, letting the cold water consume my body. I resurfaced after a second to see Lilly just getting to the little body of water.

"Come on in the water's fine." I shouted to her while swimming around. She giggled a little before slowly walking in with me. We swam around for awhile, enjoying the coolness of the water on this hot spring day. We played around a little, splashing each other and acting like pups. It was a blast. It would have went on longer if we didn't hear someone from behind us clear there throat.

We both turned around to see the two birds looking at us, and they didn't look very happy.

"We've been generous in letting you take your time getting to Kate and Humphrey, but we need to get a move on. We promised Winston we would be back soon. Its already been three days. We were supposed to be there yesterday and we've barley made it half way." Marcel scolded us. It amused me to see this bird act this way towards a wolf that could rip him to shreds, but I understood where he was coming from. The thing is, I don't care.

"Look you two," I said while walking out of the water, "I've been pushed to work my whole life. Its been nice taking it easy for the past couple of days. I'm not about to cut that short any time soon. I'm going to delay this as long as I can because once I get back my life will be over anyway." I explained to them. They shut up after that and just nodded there heads. Then they said they'll be waiting near by for whenever we wanted to go.

After they flew off, Lilly came over to my side. I knew we'd be alone for awhile and saw an opportunity. I leaned in close towards Lilly and gave her ear a little nibble. She giggled, seeing where I was going with this. She turned her head to me and leaned towards mine. We were about to go into a kiss when we heard the breaking of a twig and the shaking of a bush. I sighed in frustration and turned towards the sound.

I turned to see a wolf in mid step looking alarmed, almost scared, of seeing us. He was a black wolf, and he seemed to have some red going down his sides. He stepped back quickly and flattened his ears to his head.

"I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't kn-know there were w-wolves here." He said nervously. This wolf was terrified of us, like he thought we were going to kill him for walking up on us.

"Its ok, we're not going to hurt you." Lilly said softly, trying to sound as friendly as possible. I smiled, it was her caring omega side of her that made me love her so much.

"Y-You're not?" He asked, like he thought we were trying to trick him or something. This wolf must have gone through some tragic stuff if he's this paranoid.

"No, we're just passing through here too." Lilly said.

"You guys are l-lone wolves too?" He asked, seemingly becoming more confident. Lilly shook her head.

"No, we're from the Jasper packs. My names Lilly and this is Garth."

He tilted his head. "Those names sound familiar. You two don't happen to be the daughter of Winston and the son of Tony?" He asked.

"Ya- yah. How did you know that?" Lilly asked.

That's when the wolf changed. He straightend his posture and stopped quivering in fear. His face straightened and then broke out into a sick smile.

"That's all I needed to know." He said.

"What do you mean." I asked, confused.

Before I could get an answer, though, I heard a cawing come from the sky. I looked up to see a bird soaring down and then land on the back of the strange wolf. It was a raven.

"Told you it was him." Said the raven to the wolf.

"Yah, and lucky for us the other daughter is with him." He laughed.

"What the hell is going on." I demanded, getting irritated with this wolf.

"You know, you shouldn't give out your names to strangers. Especially to the wolf who was sent to kill you." He said.

Immediately, my instincts took over and I stepped protectively in front of Lilly and growled harshly at the wolf.

"You won't lay a paw on either of us. I'll rip you to shreds if you get anywhere near us."

"Please, Garth, don't make me laugh. I could kill you six different ways with a paw tied behind my back." He cackled. "My employer isn't stupid, he knows you're strong. But he knows I'm stronger."

"Who are you, and who sent you?" I growled.

"The names McCabe. Maybe you've heard of me?" It did sound familiar. I think I've heard my dad talk about him. I scrambled through my thoughts, trying to figure out who this wolf was. And when it hit me, I took a step back in fear. Black wolf, the raven, mercenary. McCabe was a name to fear. When he saw that I realized who he was, he smiled evily.

"So you do know. This makes things even better."

Lilly leaned up to me and asked who this wolf was. I was going to answer her, but it seems McCabe knew what she asked.

"Im a wolf for hire. Hired to kill high valued targets such as you two lovely wolves. You may know me by my other name, the Black Death. I've always liked that one. Always found it catchy." Now he was just talking to himself. This guy's insane.

"He's a cold blooded killer who was banned from the southern pack for being to dangerous. After that he became a killer for hire." I whispered back to Lilly. She seemed to get the message as she sank low to the ground and started shivering in fear.

"Why do you want to kill us?" I asked. I was just trying to buy us some time, trying to stall him enough for me to find a way out of this, because there was no way I was fighting him.

"Well, I wouldn't say I 'want' to kill you. Its just apart of the job. I get food and a place to stay from my employers. Sometimes even high ranking positions in the pack. Killing you is just a perk." He chuckled, making me gulp. So there was no way to convince him not to kill us.

"Yep, soon enough I'll be second in command to the Eastern Pack of Jasper." He told us. I looked at him in shock. Was my own father trying to kill me?

"Oh yah, you have no idea what's going on back in your packs, do you." I shook my head.

"Well, allow me to enlighten you with the short version. Gavin overthrew the east, drove Tony and anyone who follows him to the west and declares war on the west. Then he hires me to kill you two and the other daughter. Then he said something about a random omega that I could just have fun with. Think his name was Humphrey." He explained.

I growled lightly. I knew Gavin was crazy, I just never knew he'd do something like this. I told dad that we should have taken care of him long ago. But he ignored me and now look where we are.

"Anyway, enough with your stalling. I'm just going to kill you now." He said walking towards us. Lilly and I backed up quickly before I finally just screamed to her to run. We sprinted off into a random direction towards the woods.

 **Present Time**

Slowly, McCabe walked towards us still holding his evil smile. We had nowhere to go. There was only one thing to do and that would most definitely end in mine and Lillys deaths. But, I couldn't think of anything better. I took a deep breath before getting into a fighting stance. This psycho wasn't going to kill me without a fight.

"Oh, I do love a good fight before I rip my victims spines out." He laughed out maniacally. It sent a shiver through my body. Then, at lightning speed, he lept at me with claws extended and teeth aimed for my throat. I nearly avoided his deathly blow. I quickly flipped around in time to see him face me.

"You're pretty quick. Unfortunately for you, not quick enough." He got ready for another leap at me. I prepared myself to dodge it, but I figured that he wouldn't miss twice.

Its then that a miracle happened. Out of nowhere, Marcel and Paddy came flying down and ramming into McCabe's head. McCabe seemed to be taken back by this.

"Get the hell off of me." He shouted in rage. It was then I noticed how close to the edge that McCabe was. This was my chance. I sprinted at full speed towards McCabe. He had just successfully swatted the two birds away when he saw me. Only, it was too late for him. I rammed into him at full speed, causing him to fly back and over the edge of the cliff. I heard as he screamed out all the way down. Then a loud splash of water and then nothing.

I was breathing heavily. There was no way he could have survived that fall. I had just killed probably the most dangerous wolf in all of Canada. I looked over at Lilly only to see her lying down covering her eyes and ears. I don't think she even knew what happened. I slowly walked over to her, not wanting to alarm her in any way.

"Lilly." I said softly. She flinched as I called her name.

"Lilly, it's me Garth." I said. For a second she did nothing. Then, slowly, she started to raise her head. When she saw that it was me, she shot up and embraced me in a large hug and started to cry into my chest. I hugged her back and tried to comfort her as best I could.

I looked behind her to see Marcel and Paddy both standing there. I mothed out 'thank you' to both of them, and they just dipped there heads.

As I sat there comforting Lilly, one thing came to my mind that I was now sure of. We needed to get Kate and Humphrey and get them back to the Western pack as quickly as possible.


	25. War

**Winston**

"I don't know about this, Winston. Breaking pack law goes against everything you stand for. Do you really think this is the smartest thing to do?" Eve asked. Though, it wasn't as harsh as I first thought it was going to be. She sounded sincerely worried for me. It was one of those rare moments.

"I don't know Eve. This whole situation just has everything screwed up. Our daughters are gone, we're at war, Tony's basically given up on life and I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm supposed to be this packs leader, and I'm getting stumped on problems that others would have taken care of in no time. I guess I just feel like I'm letting my pack down." I sighed, rubbing the sides of my head to try and relive my ever-growing headache.

"Winston," she said softly as she walked over snuggled up next to me, "You can't beat yourself up so much. You are one of the best Alphas this pack has ever seen. Times may be tough, but I know you'll make the right decision in the future."

We sat there for a second in each others embrace, it's feels like it's been so long since we've even touched each other. This felt nice, I needed this.

"And as for Lilly and Garth, I just want my baby girl to be happy. If she truly loves this Garth boy, then let's let them become mates. I know they, as well as someone else, would appreciate it." She said. I knew exactly who she was talking about. And having him being even mentioned brought up unwanted memories.

"Now," she whispered into my ear, "When's the last time we got 'frisky'" She giggled as she started kissing up my neck. I chuckled and slightly wagged my tail at her actions. She always was the dominant one in our 'sessions'. She made her way up until we connected muzzles and started making out passionately. Oh, how long it has been since the two of us have gotten this intimate. It was when Lilly was conceived that we last were like this. Its been too long.

Unfortunately, it would have to be longer. A knocking at the front of our den caught our attention. We broke away from the kiss and looked to see who it was. Although slightly annoyed, I knew it was important because it was Hutch with those two easter wolves.

"Is this a bad time?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No Hutch, it's fine. Come on in." I said waving my paw for him to come.

"I guess this is where I leave." Eve whispered to me. "We'll finish this another time." And with that, she gave me one last kiss on the cheek and then left the den to do Lupas knows what.

I then turned my attention to the three wolves in my den. I gestured for them to give me details on the war so far.

"Its actually going fine. The same as it has been the past couple of days." Hutch explained. I nodded my head. I guess these wolves aren't as much of a threat as we had first thought.

Other than that first attack on us, no one's died. On either side there have been no causalities. They attempt to attack us but the best they do is wound some of our soldiers.

I chuckled. "This war might be over sooner than we thought." I said happily. "Just have a few good attacks on them and we can force them into submission." The others smiled and agreed. These wolves were no match for our superiority. And this Gavin wolf was just an egomaniac who's in way over his head. But I guess not everyone thought this.

I turned towards the opening of the den where I heard someone scoff. It was Tony. He walked over to us, looking at us like we were idiots.

"I can assure you, this war is far from over." Tony said.

"And how can you be so sure?" I questioned him, a little annoyed at his sudden appearance.

"First, I know every wolf who betrayed me. They aren't weak, they are some of my best alphas. And second, Gavin is much too smart. Even if his wolves were inferior to yours, he'd come up with ways to even his odds."

"Then why are they losing all of there attacks? Why have they only killed in one of there attacks? It doesn't make sence." Hutch put in.

"It may not seem to make sence. But how I am looking at it, the first attack was just to get your attention, to tell you that he is serious. The rest, I believe, are just distractions. I have a feeling that Gavin has something big planned." I didn't like what Tony was getting at, but it made sence. I thought I felt something off about all of this.

"What do you think he's planning?" Scar asked.

"I have no idea" Tony shrugged. "But I can tell you that if it goes how he envisions it, then we are all doomed."

* * *

As the conversation between Winston and Tony continued, a certain dark gray wolf made his down towards the east and south border. With him were four large wolves to make sure nothing happened to him. Tony had indeed been correct in assuming that Gavin had something much bigger planned out for the western pack. Much more than a little attacks here and there. No, he was planning a full scale invasion. But he knew he couldn't do that with the small amount of wolves he had control over. He needed help and he knew that.

That's when the idea of the southern pack came to mind. What better ally to have then the dangerous, murderous pack of the south. Talk of savage brutes from the south were music to Gavin's ears. These were the types of wolves Gavin would need. Plus, he thought, brutes like them might not be all that smart. That would make it much easier to try and manipulate them into doing his work.

He had already been shown a sample from the pack. McCabe, the deadliest assassin in all of Canada and possibly the states, was his ally. Someone who he planned on working close with for as long as McCabe stayed around.

Gavin motioned for one of his most trusted wolves to come over to him. A golder wolf walked up next to him and asked what he needed.

"Bridger, we need this meeting to go as flawless as possible. One mess up and this war will be over faster than it was started." He told him. Bridger nodded.

"The south aren't the friendliest bunch of wolves. We just need to control our tempers and not do anything to offend them. We need them on our side." Gavin had said this before they had left, a little while after they started, and now he was again telling him, beating it into his mind. He was hell bent on getting the south to join him.

Bridger told him that he understood and that he had thoroughly explained to the other three the importance to all of this. Gavin smiled and nodded. Bridger was one of the few wolves that he actually liked. Bridger had supported Gavin from the begging. From his little speachless on the problems in the pack, to now. He would have been Gavin's second in command if McCabe wasn't needed for their cause.

Gavin had already howled in advance, yesterday. He had made about half the trip and howled to the southern leader, hoping for his acceptance. Fortunately, he was granted it. Now Gavin was nearing the border, he could smell it.

It wasn't long until the five Eastern wolves walked into a small clearing. Already waiting for them were only two southern wolves. One of them was a giant jet black wolf with a broad base and protruding muscles. His fur was nicely kept, as it glistened in the mid-day sun. He was sat a little ways back from a not so good looking wolf. This wolf was noticably older, and also had black fur, though most of it was turning gray now. It was unkempt and messy, being tangled in knots and matted with dirt. Many spots of fur were also missing from him, just adding to his ancient look. His voice didn't help either.

"What do you call this meeting for?" He rasped out in long drawn out breaths. His voice almost sounded like the crushing of dead leaves.

"I have come with a proposition. My name is Gavin, and im in need of help and would be delighted to give you a fair share of our outcome if you help us." Gavin told him.

The old wolf seemed to take intrest. "What help do you need, and what will we get in return?"

"I'm at war, with the western pack. I was able to take control of the east and am now the Alpha of the pack. So, help me take out the west, then the north, and half the land will be yours." Gavin proposed. It was a hard offer to decline.

The elder wolf rubbed his chin slightly, going into deep thought about this. The other wolf that was with him came over and whispered something into his ear, getting the older wolf to respond. They had a quiet conversation for a little while, arguing back and forth. Finally, they seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Your offer intrigues me. There's only one problem though. How do you expect to take out the north?" He asked skepticaly. "Don't get me wrong, my pack is powerful but the north is a force to be reckoned with." He pointed out.

Gavin nodded his head. He had a feeling that this might come up. It was a valid thing to be worried about. The north wasn't a pack to take lightly. They wouldn't be as peaceful as the west from there small distraction attacks. They'd immediately form a counter attack and annihilate whoever would have been stupid enough to have attacked them.

No one knows why there so powerful. Most say it's just because there central focus is for defending and attacking other packs. They train wolves to be unstoppable super wolves who won't go down easily. So yes, it would be tricky to take down the north.

"The details on the north aren't clear to me right now. Plus, we wouldn't be able to attack them for awhile after we take over the west. We'll have plenty of time to work out the details on that later."

The old wolf nodded. "It sounds like a great plan." He said walking to Gavin, slowly limping over. "You got yourself a deal." He smiled, extending his paw over to him.

Gavin smiled and reached forward and shook his paw. It was official, two of the most insane leaders are now allies.

"The names Kane, by the way. Just tell me when you need me and we'll come. Jasper will soon be ours."

Gavin nodded and turned around, ready to head back to his pack. He held a devilish smile, for he knew that now with the south on his side he would be nearly unstoppable. It was only a matter of time before Jasper fell into his paws.

* * *

 **Another chapter up, more story revealed. Gavin has quickly risen to be one powerful wolf. Things don't seem good for the west.**

 **Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter. And of course thanks for reading. Please leave a review and favorite and follow.**

 **Peace Out**


	26. Kate's despair, Lillys compassion

**Lilly**

Its been a day since that mad wolf, McCabe, tried to kill us. I had honestly never been so scared in my life. It was the first time I was probably in any actual danger of dieing. The fear and adrenaline that was flowing through me was unbelievable. If Garth hadn't got lucky with Marcel and Paddy being there, and having a cliff to push him off, we may be dead right now.

Probably the most terrifying thing about that wolf, was his eyes. When we first saw him, when he was acting weak and pathetic to gain our trust and to get information, he looked so normal. He looked like some scared long wolf just making his way through that part of the forest. But then he changed. I looked directly into his eyes and saw the craziest look. They held a craving of bloodlust and murder. So much hatred radiated off of him. He looked as though he had been to hell and back. It still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. The way he looked at me was like he was looking straight into my soul. His crazy eyes, his sadistic smile and even the way he stood made him look like the most evil wolf in the world. I'm glad that Garth killed him. I'm usually one for peace and love, but this wolf had a sick and twisted mind. He needed to be put down.

After that psycho was taken care of, Garth said that we needed to get to Kate and Humphrey as fast as possible. I knew that it was what we had to do. Though I would have enjoyed the extra time with him, time was now of the essence. So we ran the rest of the day, not stopping once. With this new war that McCabe spoke of its no secret how little time we have. Having all the children of the pack leaders out of the territory is extremely dangerous.

Garth and I had woken up not too long ago. The sun was just rising as we left the den to find Marcel and Paddy. It wasn't long after that when we were on our way again.

According to Paddy, Sawtooth was not that far at all. We had nearly made it last night, but decided to wait until morning to go and get them. We had been running for about 30 minutes when Marcel told us that we were here. So we decided to start walking.

It didn't take long for us to come out from the edge of the forest and looked down into a large section of land. Giant seas of trees, rolling hills, magnificent mountains and huge valleys could be seen from this cliff. It was honestly a beautiful sight. The sun was just now fully exposing itself, making it all the better.

"You know, before I met you I wouldn't have even gave this scene a glance over. Now I can enjoy looking across this beauty." Garth spoke. It made me smile, I'm glad I've made a good impact on his life.

"Come now you two, we haven't got all day." Paddy ushered. "The two are down there somewhere." He pointed out at the never ending land in front of us. This was going to be easy... not.

Garth and I searched around for a safe way down the cliff, because there was no way we were going to jump down it. You'd be crazy to even think about doing something like that. Fortunately, there was a inclined trail that led down to the bottom in no time.

We decided that it would be best if Marcel and Paddy kept to the skies and we'd, obviously, take the low ground. We all started walking in the direction that the two said they'd last seen Kate. As we were walking, a wave of egsaustion swept over my body. With all that running and the lack of sleep I have been getting, I suddenly felt like passing out.

Garth seemed to notice this and asked if I was ok. I nodded and played it off like it was nothing. Which, honestly, it wasn't. I was just tired. I'd have to take a nap before we decided to leave.

It took about ten minutes before we actually found anything. It was a small den. When we went into it, the scent of Kate and Humphrey still lingered in it. It was old, but it was definitely them. I, however, didn't like the fact that I could smell blood. I looked down for a second and quickly turned my head. I was extremely squeamish towards blood and there was a large dried up puddle of it. And from the smell, it was Humphrey's.

Garth brought me out and we continued on our way. We already knew that something had happened to Humphrey, so we knew he was still alive. We have no idea what condition he's in, but we know he's not dead.

Only moments after we left the den, there was a sudden shaking of a bush next to us. Instantly, Garth stepped in front of me protectively. I gave a little grin, he cared so much for me and I know he loves me just as much as I love him. Its obvious that he's the one for me. Now if only we could convince our parents. Theres a slim chance for that.

For a short while, nothing happened. We were just standing there aggressively staring at the bush, waiting. Then the most unexpected thing happened. It was a pup that walked out of the bush. He walked out with his head low and looking glum. He didnt even seemed phased that we were there. Garth and I looked at each other in confusion.

"Mister Kyle!" I heard Marcel say as he glided down next to us with Paddy.

The pup looked up and gave a little smile. "Hey Marcel, hey Paddy." He said.

"Why so down, Kyle?" Paddy asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." He sighed sadly.

"Ok. Have you seen a tan shewolf around here?" Marcel questioned.

"You mean Kate?" He asked with a tilted head. This caused me to be excited. He has seen her so at least we have somewhat of an idea whereally she is.

"Yes, that's her." I said quickly. "Do you know where she is?" I begged.

He turned and looked at us for a second. "I'm guessing your wolves from her pack?"

I quickly nodded my head. "Yes, yes. Please, we need to know where she is."

"She's back in the den. Though I don't think she wants to talk right now." He said, again flattening his ears to his head. He didn't say anything after that and started walking again to what seemed like nowhere.

"I'm hoping you know where that is." Garth said, knowing that the pup wasn't going to talk anymore.

"Ahh, yes right this way." Marcel said taking off again, followed by Paddy. We took no time in catching up with them.

As we ran I thought back to what the pup said about Kate. She said that Kate didn't feel like talking right now, not to mention the the pup was looking depressed. Something was going on and I had a bad feeling about it.

It wasn't very long until another den came into sight. The familiar scent of Kate was radiating from inside the den. I smiled brightly as, finally, I would be reunited with my sister again. I sprinted out ahead of Garth, going faster than I ever have and zoomed into the den, quickly coming to a stop so I didn't slam into a wall. I looked around the large den for a second, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness of the den. Finally, my eyes rested on a lump in the back of the den. It was, without a doubt, Kate.

I heard Garth come in as I slowly made my way over to her. But something was off. I heard little sobs and crying.

"Kate?" I called out softly. Her body became stiff for a second, but in an instant her head slowly came up with her ears perked.

"Lilly?" She questioned as she slowly turned around. I could see that her eyes were blood shot red and tears stained her fur. But I didn't care for that at the moment. Right now my focus was on Kate.

"Kate!" I yelled with ecstasy as I ran up to her and brought her into a hug. She quickly accepted it and returned the favor. It was so good to see her again.

After a few moments, Kate broke away from the hug. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Dad sent us." I said pointing to Garth and I. "He wanted us to bring you and Humphrey home." I was smiling, thinking that she'd be happy about this. But all I saw was her lip start to quiver before she gently pushed me away and started violently sobbing.

To say I was taken back would be an understatement. What was wrong? Was it something that I had said?

"Kate, what's wro..." I got the answer before I even finished talking.

"He's gone." She yelled causing me to jump back.

"Who's gone?" I asked softly, trying to avoid another outburst.

"Humphrey. Humphrey's gone and I may never get to see him again." She said as she collapsed to the ground and sobbed into her paws. I was taken back. How could Humphrey be gone? What happened?

I slowly approached Kate and nuzzle her side, trying to comfort her. "What happened?"

She looked up and tried to talk but just kept choking on her sobs. I told her to take her time and that she could talk when she was ready. I let he hug me and cry into my shoulder as I rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. I was also still trying to make sence of this. How could Humphrey just be gone. Just thinking about it didn't make any sence. I needed Kate to tell me what happened, but I could wait.

It took awhile, but Kate eventually calmed down enough to where she was able to speak. That when she explained everything to us. About jumping off the cliff and injuring himself, almost dying, and them having to hand him over to humans in hopes that they could save his life. I sat back, shocked at what I was being told. I couldn't belive that one of my best friends, someone who I loved like a brother, I may never see him again. It brought some tears to my eyes.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Kate. I wish that we could have been here sooner, maybe we could have done anything." But she just shook her head. She said that this was the only way that he had a chance of survival.

"I know how close you two were. I'm sorry." I told her.

Again her lip started to quiver and I could tell another sob fest was coming. Not that I could blame her though.

"You don't understand." She suddenly said. "We love each other and we were going to be together forever. We howled at the moon and confessed our love. Then life had to rip that dream to pieces." She cried.

I looked at her in shock. What did she just say? I looked back at Garth and saw he looked as dumbfounded as I was. I guess Kate hadn't realized what she just said because when I looked back at her she looked at me with a nervous smile.

"That wasn't meant to come out." She said shyly with a blush.

"Ehh, I always knew you two loved each other. It was extremely obvious." I giggled.

"What, no way!" She said. I nodded my head, telling her that all the omegas knew about it. Luckily, I don't think any of the Alphas caught on.

"Well, I was going to tell everyone when we got back, but..." she trailed off, but I knew what she meant.

"I understand Kate. And I guess this would be the best time to say this." I said with a smile while looking back at Garth. Kate looked suspiciously at the two of us for a second, then became wide eyes.

"Nooo..."

I nodded my head. "Garth and I are in love. What a coincidence huh, both daughters of the head alpha breaking one of the biggest laws we have." I said with a half laugh. It even got Kate to smile a little. Though, I could still see that she was deeply damaged. I felt truly sorry for her. Losing the one that you love can't be easy. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost Garth.

"Kate, are you ok? We heard shouting." I heard someone ask from outside.

"Who's that?" I whispered.

She half smiled, "Friends." She said before calling them in. Garth quickly got away from the entrance of the den and came over by us. Then in came six wolves, all adults. One looking very similar to Humphrey, which is kind of strange.

"Who are these wolves?" The oldest male of the group asked.

"Cecil, this is my sister Lilly and Garth. Apparently my gather sent them to come and get me." Kate explained.

They nodded their heads and this Cecil wolf looked over at me and smiled. It made me a little nervous and I guess he saw this.

"I guess you haven't told her about me yet?" He asked Kate, who shook her head in response. I asked Kate what she hadn't told me yet.

"Lilly, Cecil is our uncle. Also, those two over there are Humphrey's parents." She said.

This day was just full of suprises, but this was just unbelievable. My mouth was agape and I was stuttering out words trying to find what to say. But my mind just drew a blank.

"Lilly." Garth said, tapping my shoulder. "I know you probably want answers, but we have more important things to discuss." He reminded me. I knew what he meant, and that was more important than a suprise uncle and finding Humphrey's long lost parents.

"What's going on?" Kate asked.

Garth sighed,"The east has attacked the west, and now the two packs are at war." He explained.

Kate looked wide eyed at him. "What?" She shouted. "How could your fatter do that?" She screamed with furry.

"It wasn't my father." Garth growled. "A wolf by the name of Gavin led an uprising and overthrew my dad. He's an insane power hungry wolf and every moment we aren't in the west the more danger we are in." Garth told her. "We've already had to fight for our life once."

"What do you mean?" Kate questioned.

"Gavin sent an assassin after all of us. He was the most dangerous wolf in all of Canada. We got lucky. But when word gets back to Gavin that McCabe failed, he's going to send more wolves after us." Garth explained.

"You encountered McCabe?" I heard my apparent Uncle, Cecil, ask. Garth nodded.

"You've heard of him?' Garth questioned.

He scoffed, "know of him, I've met the psychopath. I've traveled a lot in my life and just happened to come upon him one day. Luckily, I wasn't on his kill list. He seemed nice at first, but as I got talking to him it was obvious he wasn't right in the mind. I quickly got away from him." Cecil told us. Like I said before, I'm glad that wolfs gone.

Kate took us away from that topic and brought us back to why we were talking about this in the first place. "So you're saying we have to leave?" She inquired.

"Its the safest thing for us and for the packs. If we're captured, our parents are sure to surrender." Garth pointed out.

Kate said that she understood, but she didn't look like she wanted to go. The reason was obvious why.

"Don't worry Kate. Humphrey will come back and he can make it back to the packs on his own. I know you love him, but you got to let him go right now and think about what's best for you and the rest of the pack." I explained to her. It was ironic. Me, the omega, telling my older alpha sister what the best thing to do was. Of course I wasn't going through a heart break and wasn't thinking irrationally. But it seemed that I got through to her.

"We'll head out tomorrow." She said glumly. "We should all get some rest."

It was them that another wave of egsaustion came over me. I let out a large yawn as my eyes started to droop. Sleep was probably the best thing for all of us. I'm pretty sure Garth hast slept at all either and a Kates just been an emotional wreck. We all needed our sleep for the long journey home.

The others that were in the den told us that they'd just be outside if we needed anything. We thanked them and decided to lye down. Garth and I snuggled closely, and I saw Kate smile painfully at us. I felt so bad, I just wish there was something I could have done. I'd just have to sleep on it. I buried my head deep into Garths side and in an instant fell asleep in his warm embrace.


	27. Beginning of Something New

**Kate**

The time has finally come for our venture back to Jasper. Garth and I had woken up a little before sunshine to go and hunt so when Lilly woke up we'd be able to eat and leave. We had a long journey ahead of us and we didn't plan on taking much stops. Only to get the occasional drink and to sleep when it got dark.

We had already sent Paddy and Marcel ahead to inform that we were on our way and would arrive in the next couple of days. I couldn't be more thankful to have met these two birds. If it wasnt for them my family wouldn't know that I was alive, nor would I be going home this soon. They have been so helpful and I just don't know how we would ever be able to repay them for there kindness.

We had gotten done with breakfast a little while ago and we're now outside the den saying our goodbyes to everyone. After we had taken that nap last night I had explained everything to Lilly. All about Cecil being our uncle and how he was banished from the pack for choosing an omega over being the pack leader. She found that to be the most romantic thing she had ever heard, even Garth seemed to be moved by it. Then I told her about Jake and Kaley being Humphrey's parents. I explained that he was separated from them when humans relocated him and his other two siblings. Its actually really amazing that we found them and that they knew each other. The chances of that are near impossible, yet here they are. Its crazy.

Right now Lilly was talking with Cecil and Carol. Carol and Lilly seemed to really like each other. They were similar in many ways and it was kind of humorous to hear them talk. I could tell Cecil was enjoying it.

Garth had been sitting alone until Kdin went over to him. They hit it off pretty well and seemed to get along great. They were over there laughing and doing other things that I decided to not question.

I was sat alone just waiting until the others got done talking. My mind was still attached to Humphrey, and I couldn't get him out of my head. Every time I think about him, the pain in my heart comes back making me want to just curl back up into a ball and try to cry my problems away. If only that's how it worked. I just hope I'll be able to see him one more time.

"Miss Kate?"

I looked down to see Humphreys three sibling looking up at me. It was Steven who had said my name.

"We were wondering if you know where our older brother is?" Steven asked.

"We asked our parents, but they won't tell us." Megan added.

I almost broke down right there. These pups were still so innocent and didn't know how cruel the world is. Luckily, I was able to hold myself together. I put on a fake smile and told them what they wanted to hear.

"He went on a little trip. You don't have anything to be worried about, he'll be back here before you know it." I lied to them. I hated having to do it, but it was the best thing to do for pups that age. It seemed to work too. It put smiles on their faces and they scampered off somewhere. I sighed deeply as a few tears escaped my eyes.

"Thank you, we know that's not easy. We couldn't even do it." Kaley said as she and Jake walked over to me.

"How did you two handle it, losing three loved ones?" I asked.

"It was the hardest thing that we have ever had to go through . We were depressed for months. Hardly eating and always having nightmares. It seemed like it kept getting worse and worse. Until finally, we accepted it. It was hard to, but we saw that there was nothing that we could do about it." Kaley explained.

"Its just so hard. I love him and now he's gone." I cried out quietly.

Kaley gave me a comforting hug. "Trust me, we know what it's like. But you're not going to get better crying every time his name is mentioned. You need to stay strong. You just need to belive that he will come back to you."

We sat there for awhile, I needed this. It was like mom's hugs, full of love and so comforting. It calmed me down. I thanked her and that's when Garth called over to me. We trotted over towards them and he asked if I was ready. I nodded my head, it was time to go home.

But before we left, Cecil came over to me. "I'm glad that I could have met you, Kate. You and Lilly are great and I can see that you have a long and full life ahead of you. I just ask of you to do one thing. Tell Winston I love him and miss him." I smiled and went over to him then brought him into a hug.

"Don't worry, I will." I told him. He thanked me. We released each other from our embrace and that's when an idea came to my head.

"Uncle Cecil... why don't you come with us?" I asked him. He was taken back by the question.

"Kate, you know why. I was banished, I can't go back." He reminded me.

"I know that, but that was so long ago. Most of those wolves that were there are either dead or really old. Plus, it's been so long that no one would recognize you." I pointed out, really trying to persuade him to go.

"I don't know..."

"Come on. You can bring your mate, Kdin, Stacy, and Kyle. If he sees how successful an alpha and omega couple can be then he might come to his sences and forgive you and let it be legal. Its for everyone's benifit. And if he says no, then we can all come back here." It was a good plan and it was the only way I saw where everyone was happy. And if it doesn't work out the at least we can sat that we tried.

"She has a goop point." Carol stated. "Plus, I know how much you miss him. You need to see him again before you die."

"What about Jake and Kaley, and there pups?" He asked, trying to find a way out of this.

"We can take care of our selfs for awhile. We're big wolves." Jake chuckled.

He looked like he was trying to find more excuses to get out of this. He must have been really nervous about going back. I guess I couldn't blame him. It must be hard to go and see the brother who got you banished after so long. But, Cecil needs to do this. Not only for himself, no... this was for Lilly, Garth, and I. If I ever do see Humphrey again I plan on becoming his mate no matter what.

He finally just gave up with a sigh and nodded his head. I smiled with delight and I heard Lilly squeal as she ran over to him and gave him a hug. It was official, we were all going to go to Jasper. Hopefully, once we got there, everything would work out for the best.

* * *

 **Unknown**

I have to get to Tony, I have to get to him and fast. The fate of every wolf in Jasper is at stake and unless I get this information to him and the western leader then they don't stand a fighting chance against Gavin and the south.

Theres no doubt that my absence is already being questioned and they will most likely be tracking me by now. Fortunately, I have a very large lead from them and there's no way they will catch up to me on time. I just hope I'll be able to cross over into the west. If they deny me entry I will be at the mercy of Gavin, and knowing him he'll have none, especially not for a traitor.

The west is my only hope for survival at this point, and for all of their survival as well. Like I have said before, if I don't get this information to Tony, the packs are screwed. And it seemed that the time for my fate to be decided was fast approaching. I could smell the western and eastern border, along with the scent of wolves. So this was going to go one of three ways. Either they let me in and I can deliver my message, they just kill me on the spot, or they send me back to where I came from. It was a slim chance for this ending in my favor. Still, I didn't have much of a choice, I just need to try.

I quickly made it to the border and looked around. I could have sworn I smelled some westerners here. Where did they all go? It was then that I realized what was happening. I just walked straight into an ambush. Seconds later I was surrounded by four wolves, each growling viciously with the intent to kill. I just needed to talk them out of it.

"Whoa, no need for the hostility." I said with a little fear.

"And why not, your from the east. You should already be dead." One of them snarled.

I gulped, this wasn't going to be easy. "Look, I have some important information for Tony that I need to getell to him. Everyones life is in danger." I explained.

"Oh please, we can handle a couple of Eastern wolves, you haven't been that hard to fend off from. You are all just pathetic. Now shut up so we can kill you."

Unfortunately, this was going exactly how I thought it would. It was stupid to think that I could try and get through to these wolves. There hatred was just to strong for the east.

There was no point in trying to fight against these wolves, I was going to die no matter what. So I just sat down and waited for them to strike me down. I never thought it would come to this, getting killed in a war that I didn't want to fight in. It kind of sucks.

I heard the growling getting closer and closer as I sat there with my eyes closed. I just wish that I could have seem my parents and siblings and mate again. They had fled here during Gavin's take over and I haven't seen them since. I guess it was my fault, really.

"Wait." I heard a female speak up. My ears perked up and I looked over in the direction it came from. It was one from the group, and she was looking at me with pitty.

"We can't just kill him like this, it's not right when he's not even trying to fight back. Maybe he is telling the truth. If we kill him and he had valuable information about this war, both Tony and Winston will have our heads." She pointed out. The others looked around at each other before all coming to a silent unanimous decision.

"Fine," the male said. "But if you try anything, we won't hesitate in killing you." He growled.

I sighed in relief, I honestly didn't think that I'd actually been granted access to enter the pack. Its a miracle and I thank the gods for that.

Nothing was really said as we walked to what I assumed to be Winstons den. There was the occasional whisper between some of the wolves, but nothing directed towards me. They hated that I was there and it was plain to see.

When we entered the main grounds, let's just say that if looks could kill I would be nothing but a spec of dust. Every wolf we passed by gave me a death glare, knowing that I was an eastern wolf. This whole pack held such a high hatred for me and my friends. Though, the feeling is mostly mutual. We've hated each other for a long time. Even if the two packs did unite it woukd have been a miracle if it lasted.

The wolves dropped me off at the front of the den and then turned to leave. I saw that the girl was at the back and decided to talk to her.

"Hey," I said gaining her attention and causing her to turn around. "I just wanted to say thank you, for earlier."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't read too much into it," she said, turning back around, "I only did it because I think it was the best for our pack." He words were like venom. Even the wolf who saved my life hates my guts.

I decided to just shake it off, it doesn't matter if anyone likes me or not. I'm here for one reason. I walked into the den and called out Tony's name.

When I entered, I saw Tony and, who I guessed to be Winston, turn around. Tony looked at me wide eyed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked hotly. Of course he did, he thinks I betrayed him.

"Now Tony, before you jump to any conclusions let me explain myself." I said urgently. That seemed to calm his rage a little, and he let me proceed. "Go ahead Bridger, explain yourself."

I then went on to tell him of how I had found out about Gavin's conspiracy a long while ago. I told Garth to tell him but he didn't believe him and just waved it off. So I decided that I needed to do something. I told him that I went to every one of Gavin's secret meetings, join in on many discussions, gaining Gavin's trust until he put me as his right hand wolf.

Tony looked at me amazed. "Wow, I wish I had known. You did a brave thing." He complimented. "But why are you here now?"

"Gavin's stirring up stuff. He just made a deal with the southern leader. There going to take over Jasper one pack at a time."

Tony and Winston both looked at me with a loss for words. "If this is true, then we are screwed Tony. Handling one pack is hard enough, UT having to fight two! Especially one lime the south, they'll decimate us in a matter of days." He nearly shouted.

"This is bad, I don't know what to do." Tony said. We all sat there for awhile in silence. The true danger of what was going to come was setting in.

Then Winston sighed. "I don't know what to do, but at least we have someone to tell us what Gavin has planned." He said pointing to me

Tony nodded his head. "Go ahead then Bridger, tell us everything." I then spent the next little while explaining everything I knew.


	28. There Alive!

**Humphrey**

I groaned as a regained a little bit of my consciousness, though not fully. My head was aching like hell and I couldn't seem to fully compose myself. I tried to open my eyes, to see where I was, but I was too tired, too drowsy. It kept my eyes shut tight. It only took a few seconds for the pain in my side to return. Adding that with the piercing head ache I had and this was just a great way to wake up. I started whining a little, wishing for the pain to go away.

It was then that I heard something. I couldn't quite understand what was being said, and it sure didn't sound like wolf. I tried to listen but everything was muffled. This is actually really scaring me. I can't move, see, and barley hear. What was going on. I wish Kate was here. That's when everything came back to me. I wasn't in a den, Kate had taken me to the humans to try and heal me. I tried to protest but was immediately put back to sleep before I was able to say a thing.

Now that I knew where I was, I became a little frightened. I've never liked humans and I wish I could tear them apart, but I knew they could do much more harm to me than I could to them. Plus, I guess this is a good thing. If these humans could help me then I could get back to Kate. And if they couldn't... hey, I would've died anyway.

At that moment, a wave of drowsiness came over me and took ahold of my body, causing me to yet again go into a deep sleep.

I didn't dream, but I knew that I was unconscious. I was just knocked out and left alone in the darkness of my mind, left alone to my thoughts. The first thing I thought of was what was happening to me right now. I have no idea how human healing works and have no idea what's happening to me. All I knew is that they were far more advanced in this kind of stuff than us wolves.

Though asleep, I could still feel the pain in my body. I just wished that it would go away, that I could get better and go back to Kate. We had spent such a short time together as a couple. A few days wasn't enough. No... I needed to spend the rest of my life with her. I wasn't going to let some stupid injury take mine and Kate's happiness away from us. I had been through too much with her to lose her to death.

But I may have spoken too soon. It was at that moment that something changed. Everything became much colder and I could feel myself become weaker. I could feel myself slowly slipping away. Slowly leaving this world, leaving all of my friends and family behind... leaving Kate.

No, I said I wasn't going to leave her. Not now, not ever. I just needed to fight, to stay strong and survive for her. This will not be how it ends. That's when, again, I lost all consciousness. All thoughts, all of everything just went blank. That's when I had thought it was over, that I had failed.

I was out for what seemed like anowhere eternity. The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes. I tried looking around but my eyes were still to blurry to see anything. I tried rubbing my eyes, but it didn't seem to work. I tried to stand, but my weak and fatigued body refused to go anywhere. I couldn't open my eyes or move so I decided to just go back to sleep and try again when I woke up. I must have been more tired than I thought because right as I layed my head back on the ground I fell asleep.

It seemed like only moments later that I woke up again. Except this time, I could actually see. Well, sort of. It was pretty dark and I could only make out the outline of a few things. Naturally, the first thought I had was 'where am I?' I was definitely laying on top of dirt and it smelled like I was in a den or something like that. But how could that be? I didn't just go from a human place to a den, did I? Was it all just a dream?

I immediately looked down at my side and got my answer instantly. I had been shaved of a little bit of fur and over my skin was some sort of material sewn into my skin. Instinct told me not to mess with it.

I decided that I wasn't going to find much out just laying around doing nothing. I needed to find out my surroundings, see if I recognized anything. Slowly and steadily I brought myself to my paws. The pain in my side was still there, but it has noticably declined. Much to my convenience.

I slowly took a few steps as carefully as I could. It felt like at any second I was going to collapse, but I managed to make it out of the den. When I did make it out, everything became a little clearer. About a hundred feet out I could see a fence. I followed it with my eyrs and found that it completely enclosed me in. I wasn't away from the humans. They must have put me in here after they fixed me up. It must be some recovery place where they put wolves so they can rest and, hopefully, release when they get better.

That's when the sudden realization hit me. I was going to be ok! I was going to be able to get out of here and find Kate. The only question now is, when we're they going to let me out?

I stood there for a second, examineing everything within the fences. There were a couple of trees and bushes that I could make out, but other than that it was too dark to see anything else. I had a feeling that I was going to be here awhile.

I sighed and slowly turned around. The only thing I could do right now is sleep, which isn't a bad choice because I'm still egsausted. Once I turned and faced in towards the cave, I came to a big surprise. I was met with a pair of eyes staring at me. I screamed a little and took a few quick steps backwards. Unfortunately, I lost my balance and fell on my back. The pain in my side came back and I fought back a yelp as I rolled over and tried to get back up.

"Holy hell, are you ok?" I heard the wolf ask as he jogged over to me.

"Not really," I seethed out.

He came up next to me and helped me up. "Sorry about that," He apologized, "I didn't think I'd scare you." It sounded like he was trying to hold back a laugh. I guess pain is always funny, unless it's you who's experienceing the pain.

"Its ok, I just didn't expect to see anyone." I said as we walked back into the den. Though I was letting this guy help me, I still kept an eye on him. I don't know what it was, but something about him made me nervous. Its like my instincts were screaming at me to get out of there. The thing is, he didn't seem dangerous. He was being very polite and helpful. Of course that doesn't mean he wasn't acting. I guess I'll trust him for now, not that I have much of a choice with being locked in this place with him. Maybe that's what it was. Being locked in with a stranger. Yah, that's probably it.

I carefully lyed down and he sat down facing me. A silence filled the den that was kind of unsettling. I just didn't know what to say. Just a few moments ago I thought I was here alone. Now I'm here looking at a complete stranger. I guess I should try and make him less of one.

"So, what's your name?" I asked. Strangely, he looked at the ground and fumbled around with his paws for a second.

"I actually don't know," He said shyly.

I cock my head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm guessing it's why I'm here," He stated. "I woke up here without any memory of anything a couple days ago. Then you showed up tonight. That's all I can remember. Everything else is just a big blur." He explained.

I slowly nodded my head, comprehending what he was saying. He must have gotten amnesia. That means he must have hit his head pretty hard on something.

"So you don't remember anything? Nothing about where you came from, or even how you lost your memory?" I questioned.

He sighed,"like I said, I can't even remember my name. I just hope that it's not permanent. All I do know is that i must have hit my head pretty hard on something, because when I woke up I had a major headache and these," He said, turning the back of his head to me. I hadn't noticed them before, probably because of the dark, but there definitely were some sort of bandages on the back of his head.

"So, yah. Amnesia isn't fun. Enough about me, though, why are you here?" He asked.

I let out a small laugh as I smiled. "By trying to impress a girl." I replied sheepishly.

Again, he tried to hold back a laugh. "What happened?"

I sighed,"Its a long story." I said.

"Well, I'm not really going anywhere anytime soon, at least I think. Still, I do want to hear this." He pressured me.

"I don't know, maybe tomorrow. I'm still really tired and could use some sleep." I told him.

"That's fine by me. Like I said, I'm not going anywhere." He chuckled. I returned the laugh, unfortunately I have a feeling he's right.

I said goodnight to the wolf and lyed my head on the ground. Upon touching the ground with my head, my eyes immediately closed and I drifted into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the greatest sleep I've ever had. I just kept waking up every couple of hours from the annoying sensation I was having in my side. It felt really weird not to have any fur there and my body didn't seem to like it. That and not being on any pain killing herbs wasnt helping at all. Then there was the wolf that I had to share a den with. This guys snoring sounded like a train. So yeah, sleep didn't wasn't that great for me.

By the time the sun was coming up I was still wide awake. My eyes drooped terribly from the lack of sleep, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

My head turned towards the wolf when I heard the snoring stop. His eyes were just starting to open when he saw I was looking at him.

"What?" He asked, still seeming to be half asleep.

"You know, no offensive but your snoring is really loud." I bluntly said.

He blushed, embarrassed and turned his head away. "So-Sorry. I didn't know I did. I can sleep outside next time if you'd like." He suggested.

"No, that's alright. I'll just have to get used to it. Besides, it wasn't just your terrible snoring that kept me up." I told him. He pointed to my side wondering if that's what I meant. I nodded and explained that it was just a weird feeling.

"So, you said you'd tell me how that happened. But if you need some rest I can leave and come back later." He said. I smiled. This wolf is really polite, putting my needs in front of his own is very nice of him. Add that with his apparent sence of humor, I wouldn't doubt that he was an omega. Not that he'd have any idea what that even means with his condition.

"No, I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to sleep for awhile. I just hope that I'll be able to tonight. Anyway, I guess I should start from the beginning. It all started at a thing called the moonlight howl..."

Over the next hour or so, I explained to him everything from getting relocated to jumping off of the cliff to try and impress Kate. He seemed to take a lot of pleasure in hearing that, and what I mean by that is he broke out laughing. And I guess in hindsight it was a ridiculous thing to do, especially since later I found out Kate actually did have feelings for me which I explained to this guy. I told him about the pending war with the east and how Kate was supposed to unite the packs via marriage to stop it. He found that kind of stupid, which I had to agree with.

After that I told him about all the wolves we met and how Cecil was Kates long lost Uncle, and how I found my parents after so long. He looked like he was about to cry after that, and he did actually start crying after I told him how I started dying and they brought me to the humans to save me.

"And I guess that's that." I finished. He sniffled a little and wiped some tears away.

"You know, I really find your story touching and I like it, but thats not the reason I'm crying. I just wish I could remember anything like that. I wish I had memories of stories like the with someone I love. Yet, here I am with no recollection of anything. McCabe the memoryless wolf." He ranted.

"Ok, one I don't think memoryless is a word, and two did you just say your name?" I asked with a smile, happy that he seemed to remember something.

He sat there for a second, dumfounded. Following that, he put on the biggest smile I've ever seen anyone have. "I-I think I did. McCabe, that's my name." He shouted in glee as he ran around the den. He stopped at the entrance where the sun shine on him, giving me my first good look.

"Well I'm glad your starting to remember." I told him.

I took this time to take in his appearance. He has jet black fur with crimson red stripes running down his sides. A little peculiar, but I'm not one to judge. He also looked to be a few years older than me. I don't know why, but that feeling of fear left me, now I thought that me and McCabe were going to be good friends.

* * *

 **Come on, did you really think I'd kill off someone like McCabe in only one chapter. Well if you did you were wrong. Now he's back, and Fourtunetly for Humphrey he has amnesia. Now it seems, though, that he's regaining a little bit of it. I wonder what will happen. Well, scratch that, I know what's going to happen. You all are wondering what's going to happen. Guess you'll just have to come back and find out.**

 **Thanks for reading and as always please leave a review.**

 **Peace Out.**


	29. Home Sweet Home

**Kate**

It was so close that I could literally smell the border. Home was less than a mile away and I couldn't be happier to just get there and see my parents. I had been so busy with Humphrey and all the other wolves we met in Sawtooth that I had completely forgotten about Jasper and my parents. But since we began our journey back all I could think about was seeing mom and dad. That, and taking a nice long nap.

After everything that has happened, I'm just egsausted. The same could be said for Lilly. She has basically gone a whole week of traveling with only a day break. Not to mention her meet up with that psycho wolf who chased her and Garth. Because of all that she was just dead. She was barley keeping up with the rest of us. Though, she did manage to go fast enough not to slow us down. She was one tough omega I'll giver her that. Not many omegas are able to do that.

The only wolves who didn't seem to be tired were Cecil and his family. The reason for that is quite self explanatory. They are a nomadic pack, moving from place to place all the time. They're used to traveling a lot so it's just natural and more easy for them to do. Even Kyle was doing better than Lilly, and he was just a pup. That's just something that comes naturally to wolves like them. Its their way of survival.

We had been in a slow jog most of the way, trying to be able to make it to the west in good time. We had made it, actually, in great time. It was supposed to take us around three days with a group our size, but it will have only been two and a half by the time we reached the main grounds. If we didn't have to hunt as much food for this group then it would have taken even less time. But, I can't complain.

It was when I saw Lilly finally falling behind when I decided it would be best that we walk the rest of the way. No one had any arguments there. Everyone slowed down and let out a couple of deep breaths, not taking them long at all to catch their breath. Lilly, on the other hand, sounded like she was dying. She was sat down, gasping for air in irregular breaths. This was common for wolves who don't run very much. I went over to her and told hee that she had to calm down. I instructed her to take deep baths in and out. She nodded and followed my instructions and soon she composed herself and wasn't hyperventilating anymore.

I told them that we could just walk the rest of the way. It wouldn't take very long at all to get there.

As we were walking, I looked back for only a second and what I saw made me instinctively look back forward. I wasn't going to cry, not right now. I saw Garth carrying Lilly on his back as Lilly snuggled in close to his back. I am happy for them, and I'm glad that my sister found the one she loves. It's just that... I wish that could be Humphrey and I. Of course I knew he wouldn't be able to carry me, I just wanted him to be here so I had someone to love on.

Ever since I gave Humphrey away to those humans, there's been a giant empty feeling inside of me. Its almost like a piece of me just broke off and left a blank space. But there's nothing I can do about it now. What's done is done and I can only hope that I can see Humphrey again some day.

As we were walking, I couldn't help but feel that we were being watched. I looked around to see that we were surrounded by bushes and noticed that it was very possible that we could be surrounded right now. I looked at Garth to see him looking as uneasy as I was. Cecil, Kdin and Stacy also seemed to notice it. It was obvious, bow, that we were indeed being followed.

I walked up to the side of Garth and started talking to him.

"I don't like this, they should have made themselves known by now. What are they waiting for?" I whispered to him.

"I have no idea, but I have a bad feeling that it's nothing good. I can't pick up a scent either. I have a feeling we might have walked straight into an ambush." He noted. That's just great.

"Hopefully they think we're just passing through. Maybe that's why they haven't attacked yet." I inferred.

"Let's hope that's the case." Garth said. I could tell that he was a little nervous, as am I. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do. If they find out we know their there, they'll most likely attack. The best thing to do at the moment is to just stay calm. When we cross over into western territory we'll be safe.

I walked back to Cecil and he said the same thing I was thinking. We just needed to stay calm and pray that they weren't going to attack. Fortunately, like I said, we were very close to western borders. It was in sight, I almost just ran to it but I composed myself and held back. I didn't want to get us killed at the last second.

We were a few steps away from the border when we heard some rustling in the bushes in front of us. It was right on the border line. They cut us off, and we all understood that. Stacy picked up Kyle and put him in between herself, Kdin, Cecil, and Carol to protect him. Garth put Lilly down and we both stood protectively in front of her.

"Show yourselves already!" I yelled out. I was sick of the waiting. If we were going to die, I was going to make sure it wasn't easy for them. But who stepped out shocked me. It was Hutch.

"Hutch? Why are you doing?" I asked. He seemed really shocked to see me. That shock soon turned into relief as he ran over to me with a huge grin.

"Kate, it's so good to see you! Those birds came a couple of days ago and told us you were on your way. I'm just glad you made it here safely. And I know your parents are going to be overjoyed to see you two."

I told him that it was good seeing him too as I gave him a small hug. He blushed a little, mostly because he had a little crush on me. Ever since the first day of Alpha School it was obvious that he did. Its just I didn't see him the same way, and I did let him know before he became too attached. Fortunately, we still became great friends.

"Now could you please call your other wolves off?" I asked of him, a little annoyed that they were still hiding in the bushes.

He looked at me strangely,"What wolves? Its just me..."

After he said this, my eyes became wide and my face became pale. I know that we were being followed and if Hutch says it wasn't him and his group, that could only mean one thing...

"Look out!" Garth shouted, tackling me out of the way as a wolf soared over our heads.

Upon instinc, Hutch released a distress howl. I quickly got up and noticed seven wolves around us. I saw the wolf who had lunged at me picking himself off the ground. But there was something strange. These definitely weren't eastern wolves. They looked nothing like them. No, these wolves are much worse. They're southerners.

In the center of them all was a large black wolf who was easily twice the size of Garth. He was actually kind of intimidating. In a deep gruff voice he asked which one of us was Kate. I was hesitant in telling him that it was me. It was obvious these wolves were the enemy and I don't need them knowing what I look like. But if I don't say anything its likely they'll just kill us all. If I do tell him it's me I might be able to buy us more time for back up to reach us. It was the best shot.

"I am" I said stepping forward.

He lazily gazed over at me and seemed to examine my body, but not like he was checking me out. This felt a lot more threatening, kind of like he was assessing my physical abilities just by my appearance. After he was done he slowly nodded his head.

"As I expected. You're lucky you have more wolves on their way. If you didn't, just know that you'd already be dead." He told me, yet he almost seemed board about it.

"Yah, and who are you to be making such assumptions?" I growled. Garth didn't seem to like that as he harshly asked me what I thought I was doing.

"Jethro" He replied without care. It was obvious that this wolf didn't care, but at the same time he knew he could tear us all apart. And he might have if back up didn't arrive when it did.

It was all so sudden when western wolves jumped from the forest and charged the southerners. All but Jethro immediately went into a retreat. Jethro just sat there for a second staring directly at me as our wolves charged him, but he didn't seem to care much for them. He slowly turned around and ran back to the south with our wolves chasing after them.

I took a deep sigh if relief when that wolf Jethro was out of sight. That wolf sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. Just the way he looked at me with those dead eyes, it was enough to scare any wolf. I'm just glad that he's gone. For now...

It didn't take long for the persuers to come back from there chase. None of the had blood on them telling me there was no bloodshed. When they did all get back I noticed that it wasn't just western wolves, there were also a few eastern. They must be the ones that fled during Gavin's take over. I'm glad that Garth filled me in on all of these things. Otherwise I would be really confused.

They didn't pay our group much attention, just walking right past us and right back to where they came from. They all looked egsausted and almost dead. I guess that's what fighting in a war gives you. I have a feeling I'll be looking like them in the not so distant future.

"Come on Kate, your parents are going crazy waiting for you and Lilly." Hutch explained as he ushered us to get moving. I looked back at Cecil to see that he looked even more nervous then when we were surrounded by those wolves. Carol was trying to calm him down, which seemed to work a little. He saw that I was looking back at him and I just gave him a reassuring smile. I then mouthed to him that everything was going to be fine. He still didn't seem so sure.

We walked through the outskirts of the pack, around dens, through the feeding grounds and eventually up the ramp. I would occasionally look back at Cecil and see him and Carol both looking around. I could hear them a little, talking about what was the same and some of the stuff that had changed since they left. They seemed to be happy to come back and visit where they were born and mostly raised.

We made it to the top of the ramp and that's where Hutch left us. He said goodbye, but not before saying he was glad I was home again. He walked passed everyone and down the ramp. I didn't take another second before I rushed into the den. When I got in there I saw Mom and dad talking with Tony and some eastern wolf.

"Mom, dad!" I yelled as I ran over to them. They flipped around once they heard me just in time for them to catch me in a hug. "I'm so glad to see you guys!" I said as I buried my face into their chests.

"Ohhhh, I'm so glad my girls are home. You have no idea how much I've worried about you two." Mom cried.

We stayed there for a second, but I pulled away. I was glad to see them, overjoyed actually, but I needed to tell them a few things.

"What's wrong Kate?" Dad asked. I sighed, this still wasn't as easy then when it first happened. I haven't even really talked about it since it happened. I've just kept it locked away in my thoughts and mind.

"Humph..." I stopped myself halfway through saying his name, trying to hold back the tears. "Humphrey... he didn't make it back." I told them.

Both mom and dad looked shocked. "What happened, where is he?" Dad questioned.

"His injuries were a little more sever than we had first thought," I explained,"We had to leave him behind. We took him to some human rangers in hope that they could help him. It was that, or the alternative..." I looked away quickly, not wanting them to see me like this.

I heard the two of them walk up behind me and felt dad put his paw on my shoulder. "I bet everything will be fine, Kate. Humphrey always bounces back. You just need to have a little faith that he'll come back." Dad said softly, trying to comfort me. It did a little, but only a little. I'm really not a very optimistic wolf.

I thanked them for that and while I was looking up I noticed Cecil not looking to well. It was obvious that he was holding back from crying. It also didn't help that he wouldn't stop shaking. He looks like a nervous wreck.

Mom and dad must have also noticed this because mom tapped me on the shoulder and asked if my 'friend' was ok. I assured her that he was probably more than ok, just a little nervous is all.

"Mom, dad, I'd like to introduce you to the wolves who took care of Humphrey and I while we were on out little 'adventure'." I said pointing to all of them. Dad walked past me and over towards them and I saw Cecil stiffen up a little. This was going to be interesting in seeing how this played out.

"Thank you, all of you, for taking care of my daughter and her friend. We are all in your debt." Dad said with a little dip of the head.

"It was no problem, it was a pleasure in meeting them." Carol smiled at him.

"I'm glad." Dad responded.

I guess that it was then that Cecil couldn't take it anymore. Slowly, he walked forward towards dad. Dad looked at him strangely probably wondering what he was doing. I felt mom about to walk over to them, but I stopped her. She looked at me, now wondering what I was doing. I just gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable," Cecil apologized,"I'm just really nervous right now." He said.

"Its fine, really. But if I may, why are you nervous. You aren't in any danger here." Dad said.

Cecil nodded his head, "I know, I know. Its just been so long since I've seen you. I don't even know if you remember me." Cecil chuckled. Dad started examining him, trying to find something recognizable of the wolf in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I remember you." Dad apologized.

"Its fine, you were just a pup the last time you saw me. Its been so long since I've seen you. I'm just glad that you grew up to be the wolf I knew you could be. Probably better than I could of ever done, eh Winst."

Dad looked at him bewildered. "Theres only one wolf that ever called me that..." He exclaimed, looking even closer at him.

"Your big brothers home, Winstons." Cecil smiled weakly. Dad looked like he was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to expect from this point. Anger, saddness, guilt, sorrow.

"Ce-Cecil? Its really you isn't it? I never thought I'd see you again." Dad said in almost a whisper. He was a little calm we than I expected him to be, fortunately. Dad _then_ looked over at Carol and then at the others. "Are all these wolves your family?"

Cecil nodded with a smile. "Yep. And they are so wonderful. I don't know what I'd do without them." Cecil smiled, giving Carol a little lick on the cheek.

"I see... Kate, could you and the others give Cecil, Carol, your mother and I some privacy. We have some catching up to do." Dad said.

I nodded with a smile and ushered everyone to get out. I'm glad that it didn't go as bad as I thought it would. Hopefully it can stay like that while we're gone"

"I'm hungryyyy." I heard Kyle complain. I rolled my eyes with a chuckle.

"Come on then, let's go get something to eat." I said as I led everyone towards the feeding grounds.

I can honestly say one thing for sure. With everything that has been going around, all of the violence and drama and all that junk, even if Humphrey isn't here with me, it sure is great being him.


	30. Not so Bad

**Humphrey**

I'm actually kind of enjoying it here. Being kept in this little place really isn't that bad. There is plenty of space to move around in, there is a den at the back left to sleep in and there's even a large pond in the middle, which is great for taking relaxing baths.

I never have to stress over anything. We're always fed up to three times a day, so we never have to worry about going hungry. We are not in any danger, the rangers make sure of that which takes a lot of stress away. Theres only a couple thing wrong, though. It just doesn't feel natural. Its all just to easy, which is great, but it just takes away from everything I've been taught. It supresses my instincts and it just feels really weird. Other than that, there is only one other thing that sucks. Its probably the worst thing, which really isn't suprising at all. Its that Kates not here with me.

I know I tend to complain a lot about this, but how can I not. The first memories I have are with Kate. We've both been through so much with one another that's it's hard not having her with me. Those months where she was gone to alpha school killed me on the inside. Going from seeing here nearly every day, to not seeing her for almost three months, it drove me mad. That's why this sucks. Kates just my everything, and without her I just feel... empty.

But enough of the depressing stuff for now, let's focus on the positive. I'm alive, for one. Whatever those humans did to me worked like magic. The pain was still there, but I could tell that it was dissipating at a quick rate. Also, the fur that was shaven off was now growing back. Unfortunately, the bald spot was still embarrassing noticeable. Luckily, there was only one other wolf around, and he's really nice for the most part.

McCabe does have his flaws, like we all do. For instance, there is his snoring. The first couple of nights I let him stay in the den because I didn't want to feel like a jerk sending him outside, even if he told me he would. On the third night I had finally had enough. I woke him up and sent him outside to sleep. He didn't care that he had to go outside, he just seemed mad that I woke him up. I felt bad at first, but when I actually got my first good night's rest, I wasn't as sorry.

Another thing that was really annoying about him was that every time I showed any signs of pain he'd laugh at it. I didn't care at first, but after awhile it got kind of annoying. Turns out, though, that he didn't even realize it. I confronted him about it and told him to please stop. He immediately apologized and told me he didn't even notice he was doing it. It was weird. Maybe it was a side affect of getting hit in the head. Or maybe it had to do with what kind of wolf he was before his memory loss...

Anyway, the last thing about him that's terrible is his habit of eating all the food that's given to us. A lot of the times I don't even mind, it's just kind of inconsiderate of him.

Its weird how he's one of the nicest wolfs I've ever met, but at the same time he can be kind of a jerk. Though, I don't even think he realizes how rude and mean he's being. He did lose his memory, so what's to say he didn't loose all his manners as well. Either that or he never had any to start with.

But like I said, other than all of that he's a great wolf. He's fun to be around and very funny. I'd honestly be suprised if he got his memory back and said he wasn't an omega, because he sure acts like one. Though, he has the body of an alpha. I guess I won't know unless he gets his memory back, which he might already be.

The nights that he did sleep in the den he would suddenly wake up gasping for air in a state of panic. I would ask if he was alright and he'd tell me that everything was fine, that he was just dreaming. But something told me it was more than that. I just felt like he was having flashbacks of his old life and only thinking they were dreams. But what do I know. The only reason Im even thinking of this is because I remember Eve telling me stuff like this. She's handled tons of things and memory loss was one. She told me that memorys can come back to them at any time. And a lot of the time it happenes in dreams. But I guess if he says it's nothing then it's nothing.

"Hey Humphrey, dinners here!" I heard McCabe call out to me. I was lying down in that pond that I mentioned earlier. It really helped with the pain.

"Okay, be there in a moment," I replied. "And don't eat it all this time." I yelled. I slowly picked myself up and walked out from the water into the cool mid day air. lightly, I shook the water off myself, as to not agitate my injury.

I made my way over towards where they always dropped the food and found McCabe already there chowing down on a large piece of meat. I saw another one a little ways off to the side of him. I went over to it and started eating. I don't know what it was, but something about this kind of meat tasted a lot better than any caribou or deer that I've ever eaten.

As I finished up I saw that McCabe was already way done with his. He was lying on his back looking up at the sky with a wide grin on his face.

"You know," He started, getting my attention. "I think this is the happiest I've ever been." He told me.

"Oh, and how do you know that?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It just feels like this is the first time I've ever been happy in my life. It may just be because of the memory loss, but I'm not complaining." He stated. He certainly did look happy.

"Speaking of your memory, have you been able to remember anything else?" I questioned.

"Well, since you bring it up, there is one thing that keeps nagging at me. Ever since you said that you are from Jasper, that names been nagging at me constantly." He told me.

"So do you think you're from Jasper?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Possibly. Or I might have just passed through there. I can't be for certain right now." I understood, memory loss isn't just a day or week thing. Its going to take quite some time before he remembers everything. Of course there's a possibility that won't happen. We just need to hope.

When that conversation was over, the thought of Jasper still lingered in my head. I thought of all my friends that were there and of all the great times I had spent in my childhood home. All of this thinking was making me homesick. I hadn't realized until now, but I was really missing everyone and everything back home.

"So, when do you think we'll be able to get out of here?" I asked McCabe.

"How should I know. I guess whenever you get better they'll let you out. I don't know about me though."

I nodded my head. It was unlikely they'd let us out at the same time. My internal injuries were much more severe than his, at least to our knowledge. And they have no way of telling McCabe has memory loss so... yah.

"What will you do when you get out?" I questioned. He went to say something buy stopped immediately. He pressed his ears to his head and looked very lost.

"I don't know..." He said. "I have no idea if I have anywhere to go back to. I don't know if I have a family, friends, a home. I basically have nothing."

Of course, it was a stupid thing to bring up. How was he supposed to know any of this. Sometimes I just need to keep my mouth shut and think a little before I speak. But then again...

"I've got an idea," I said, catching his attention. "Why don't you just come with me. I can take you and introduce you to Kate and I'm pretty sure after that she'll want to go to Jasper. You can stay there and wait for you memory to come back," I proposed. His face brightened up and he grew a big smile.

"That would be great! And your sure there wouldn't be any problems?" He asked.

"Of course not, it's not like your some psycho killer. Winston will be fine with it." I chuckled, getting a laugh from him.

"I'm glad to have met you, Humphrey. You're a great wolf and friend." He said.

"Its no big deal, just know that I've got your back now."

"And I've got yours." He smiled.

Yep, this wolf may have some problems that tend to annoy me but at the end of the day I know that I've found a friend that will always stick by my side. He's someone that I know will be my friend until the day we die. Such a great wolf McCabe is, and I bet he always has been. In his past life and now.


	31. Alpha and Omega

**Winston**

I was at a loss for words. I honestly didn't know what to think, to say, what to feel right now. I mean this was just so unexpected and crazy that my mind just couldn't cope with what was going on right now. I haven't seen this wolf in front of me for so many years. The last time I saw him we were still considered pups. Now we're both really old. He defenetly looks much different than when I last saw him. He was graying, his eyes becoming naturally saggy with his old age. It was weird to see him like this.

So many feelings were running through me as I stared at him and his mate. The Alpha and the Omega. I wanted to hate him for this, for choosing her over me and leaving me all alone with the responsibility of running a pack, since only days after his banishment the old pack leader died, leaving me in charge as a pup. I wanted to despise him for that, for taking away my puppy-hood, but honestly I couldn't.

I started to walk over to the two slowly and all eyes turned towards me. Cecil, his mate, Eve and Tony all looked at me as I approached my older brother. I didn't know why I was doing this or what was going to happen, I was just letting my body do what it wanted. When I got within legs length of him, my paws clenched up a bit, the anger coming back. Cecil seemed to notice this and prepared himself as if I was going to hit him. Luckily, I composed myself. I couldn't bring myslef to hitting him, not even after all this time.

"Its been a long time, cecil," I whispered.

"Far to long, Winston," He replied. Even hearing his old voice was so weird to me.

A moment of silence then fell over us as we stared at each other awkwardly. Its funny, I've thought about what I'd ask him if I even saw him again a lot of times, compiling tons of questions. Now my mind is just drawing a blank.

"Do you hate me?" He suddenly asked. "Because if you do, I can't say that I blame you." He told me as he looked to the ground in shame.

"You know, I really wanted to..." I said, causing him to look up. "But I could never bring myself to doing it. You have no idea how much I wished I had never found you two that night. If it wasnt for me and my stiff-neckedness of the rules, then you would have never of left." I cried out. He looked shocked at my sudden outburst. I didn't blame him.

"I spent so many nights alone thinking to myself that if I could do it over again how I'd a just let you two be." I told him.

"So you don't hate me or her? Or that I'm an alpha and that she's an omega?" He asked happily.

I smiled a bit, "How could I be. It would be hypocritical of me, since I'm going to let Lilly and Garth become mates." I told him.

The two of them became wide eyed. "You mean you're..."

"...Abolishing the law between alphas and omegas? Did that yesterday!" I finished for him with a smile. They looked as though they had no idea what to say. Its understandable, this was a big step. The meeting didn't go over well with a lot of wolves, but what were they going to do about it. What I say goes. Luckily, there were some that cheered for the change. It seems that it wasn't only Lilly and Garth who suffered from the law, not that it was a suprise. There were bound to be other secret relationships between the two ranks, it was a natural erge. The law just suppressed that, our ancestors making it illegal for some reason. I honestly doubt anyone even remembers that reason.

"So does this mean... does this mean we can come home?" Cecil asked shyly. I thought about it for a second, I didn't see any reason why not.

"The law no longer stands so you are not breaking any laws. You and your family will be aloud to enter and leave this pack as you wish." I told him.

He stood there a second, looking like he was trying to take it all in. Like he was trying to comprehend what I was telling him. Honestly, it was a lot. Abolishing an ancient law, telling him I was allowing my own daughter, an omega, to marry an alpha, and that he could return home.

His composure turned into a smile, which soon turned into a laughing cry of enthusiasm. He turned to his wife and gave her a great big kiss and then embraced her tightly looking like he was never going to let her go. Once he did, though, he turned and bounded over to me and gave me a tight hug. He repeatedly kept saying 'thank you' over and over to me while he cried into my shoulder.

"For so long I've wanted to hear that you didn't gate me, that you still cared for me even if I did leave you." He cried to me.

"Its all in the past now. What matter is that you are here and I presume you'll be staying awhile?" I asked.

He nodded his head rapidly. "Of course. Especially with a war going on I don't feel safe trying to leave with my family." He pointed out.

"That's understandable. And I assure you, you and your family will be protected at all times." I told him.

"I appreciate it."

It was then a heavy feeling was finally lifted from me. It was like a deer had been lying and me for years and just now decided to get off. The feeling was overwhelmingly pleasant. Finally, I had my brother back and we had patched up old wounds between us. This truly was a great day.

"Now how's about we get everyone in here and announce the great news." Carol suggested. We all agreed.

It was a short while later when everyone was back in the den. Lilly was obviously over by Garth still thinking that I was oblivious to there affection for each other. Kate sat next to her mother and I, waiting patiently to hear what we had to say. Cecil sat next to his family, and he was trying to calm down his grandchild which was kind of humorous to watch.

"Why'd you call us all here?" Kate finally asked, tired of waiting. I gestured over towards Cecil, letting him start and say what he had to say.

"First off, we will be staying here for quite some time. Mostly due to the war because it's just to dangerous to try and go back to Sawtooth now. We'll just have to wait until things die down a little. That, and of course Carol and I have officially been un-exiled from the western pack of Jasper." He explained to everyone.

"Really? Wow, that's awesome!" Kate said cheerfully. "Why the sudden change of heart, dad?" She asked.

I smiled. "There are a couple reasons, but the main one is why we called you all in here." I stated, getting confused looked from most of them. "As I'm aware, Garth, you have a certain affection towards my daughter."

"Well, Kate and I haven't..."

"I wasn't talking about Kate." I cut him off. He looked around nervously, as did Lilly.

"Your Father Informed me that you told him you loved Lilly and wanted to marry her, instead of Kate, to unite the packs. Is this true?" I asked him. He stuttered and stumbled with his words for a second.

"Y-Yes s-s-sir, that is c-correct." He replied.

"Good. Well today's your lucky day." I said. Again, they looked at me confused. "I had the law keeping alphas and omegas apart abolished. You two are free to love each other however, and whenever you want." I explained to them with a smile. They only sat there for a second, trying to understand what I had just told them. But I guess it didn't take too long for Garth to understand because only seconds later he took Lilly by the head and pressed his lips against her, bringing them into an intimate kiss.

I was glad that they could be happy. I may be a pack leader that has to enforce the laws and be a hard ass on a lot of wolves, but I am also a father who just wants to see my daughters be happy. And I'm glad that is what I was able to do today. Even Eve was smiling, happy that Lilly was Happy.

I looked over at Kate and upon first glance I thought I saw she was crying from joy. That she was glad her sister had found her love, and a little bit that she didn't have to marry a complete stranger. But upon further looking I saw that she looked like she was hurt emotionally. I didn't think that she liked Garth. Could I have been wrong.

It wasn't long before Kate just bolted out of the den, not saying a word as she zoomed out of the den to who knows where. To say I was confused woukd be an understatement. I would have figured she'd be ecstatic about this. So, what was I missing here.

"What's wrong with Kate?" Eve asked, worried for her daughter.

"I probably should have seen that coming. I'm actually not suprised by this at all." Cecil sighed out.

"Why, what's wrong?" I asked, wondering how he knew more than me.

"Well isn't it obvious?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders, not having a clue what he was talking about. Cecil shook his head. "I love you, Winston, but you really are blind to what's around you. She's upset because alphas can finally be with omegas and her omega isn't here." It took me a second to understand what he was talking about, but once I did I couldn't belive that I was that naive.

"Humphrey..." I whispered. Of course, I've known of his crush on Kate, and her crush on Humphrey since Humphrey first got here. Of course I didn't really see it as much, just puppy love. But I guess that must have turned into something much more. I don't know how I didn't see it.

"You should go after her, talk to her." Carol said. "She needs to have someone there for her, she's going through something really tragic." I nodded my head and told them all I'd be back. Eve stayed behind to have a little talk with Garth. I chuckled to myself, I would have to ask how that went.

I followed Kates scent for awhile, up until the point I didn't have to because I knew exactly where she was going. I ran for a little while longer until I came upon a small den on the outskirts of the territory, luckily not far enough away for anthe unwanted visitors via the east or south. I made my way the the entrance of Humphrey's den and saw Kate loudly sobbing in the middle of it. It broke my heart to see her like this.

I slowly walked in and called out to Kate. She tensed up a little and turned towards me.

"Kate, I found out about you and Humphrey." I said softly. "I just want to say that I'm sorry he's not here. I know how close you two have always been."

"It hurts so much!" She sobbed out as she lacked onto me and sobbed into my shoulder. I lightly patted her head and let her cry into me.

"I know, I know. But I can assure you that if Humphrey is ok, he'll be back here as soon as he possibly can." I told her. She nodded her head, knowing that I was right.

I let her lean on me for a little while longer. I understood why she chose to come here, to this den. Not only was it Humphrey's, but I could still pick up a lingering scent that belongs to him. She wanted to be able to have something of his for possibly only one more time, and that was his scent.

"Come on Kate," I said, pushing her gently off of me. "We've got to get back. Its not very safe all the way out here." I told her. She said okay and we walked out of the den and slowly back to the pack.

I knew that this was going to hurt her for a long time, that this would haunt her dreams for weeks to come. I just hope that she knows she has as many wolves as she possibly needs to help her get through with this. I wasn't going to let her be unhappy, I would find a way to brighten her spirits up somehow. But for now, unfortunately, we had bigger problems to deal with. We have a war to win.


	32. McCabe

**McCabe**

I can honestly say that out of everything in this place, there is only one thing wrong. The food is great, the space is fine, the fresh water is fantastic, the company is pleasant, and the protection is phenomenal. The only thing wrong with this place is that it's soooooo boring! I have been doing the same thing over and over again for the past three weeks. The repetitiveness of it all is almost unbearable. I may not have a full memory, but I do know I'm not a wolf who likes to lay around and do nothing. I like to be active and run around, do new things that excite me. There's just none of that around here. The only source of entertainment is Humphrey, and I'm glad I have him or I think I might go insane, metaphorically speaking of course.

I had woken up a little earlier than Humphrey this morning and brought him our daily breakfast. He was still asleep so I just set his off to the side and ate mine. Now I was just lying around doing nothing, waiting for Humphrey to wake up.

I was actually enjoying being able to lye down in the den. I'm not really aloud to sleep in here. I guess I have a big snoring problem and it drives Humphrey insane. Of course I was willing to sleep outside when the weather was fine. But on rainy nights I slept in here and I would wake up the next morning with an egsausted Humphrey. Fortunately for him, last night wasn't one of those nights.

I don't know what it is about Humphrey, but ever since I met him I could of sworn he looked familiar somehow. It was more like someone described him to me rather than me actually seeing him. Still, it was kind of weird. Even Humphrey thought so after I told him. He just said that there must be some wolf where I'm from that looks similar to him. Which I guess makes more sense.

"Good morning, McCabe." I heard Humphrey say sleepily, causing me to break from my train of thought.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" I asked.

"Way better than the night before." He chuckled with a yawn. I laughed a little too, that night was one of those rainy nights.

"So what are you planning to do today?" He asked, but with some sarcasm in it because he already knew what it was going to be. We are limited by what we can do mostly because of the lack of space, but also because Humphrey's restrictions due to his still broken leg and his recovering ribs. Theres not a lot to do around here in the first place, and without anyone else that just dwindles the list even further.

"I'll probably just take another walk around the perimeter, see if the humans are doing anything interesting." I replied. I usually do this almost everyday and there is yet to be anything exciting that has been done.

"Well, have fun with that. I'll probably just go outside and lye down somewhere." He told me.

"Sounds great." I said turning around and started walking out of the den. "Oh, and by the way I left you some food." I told him, pointing over to the meat. He thanked me and slowly moved over to it.

I walked out of the cave and went over to the side of the fence which was closet to the forest. I looked out into the seemingly never endless pool of trees. I wonder what my life was going to be like when I got out of here. I mean I don't have any recollection of how to survive in the wild. As far as my memory goes, this place is all that I know. Would I just know how to survive because of instincts? I just don't know. That's why this was so frustrating. I don't know a lot of things and it just drives me insane to be this ignorant to the world.

I sighed deeply and was about to leave when a sudden cawing of a bird caught my attention. I quickly looked back into the forest because for some reason the sound seemed very familiar. I looked into a tree where I heard the sound and at first I saw nothing. I scanned the tree for a second before my eyes landed on a black bird. I stared straight into the birds eyes and it stared right back at me. We did this for what seemed like a couple minutes until it just randomly flew off.

I watched as it flew off to deeper into the forest. That was definitely the strangest thing to happen to me to my knowledge. Yet, for some reason that bird seemed so familiar. But that couldn't be right, why would I have any relations with a bird. That wouldn't make any sense.

I threw the thought away and shrugged it off as the bird just being weird. I continued on with my little walk around the fencing and saw only what I had come to know in my few weeks of being here. The same trees, rocks, and shrubbery. I just wish that there could be one exciting thing that would happen. Just one thing that would get my adrenaline flowing, or at least give me something new.

As I grew closer to the human den, I started to hear somewhat of a commotion. It was all human speak so I couldn't understand it, but it sounded urgent. I hurried up my pace so I didn't miss what ever was going on. This might be interesting, and I wasn't going to miss my chance to see this. I made it just in time to see a group of humans taking something into there place. I tilted my head a little in thought, wondering what it could have been. I shrugged my shoulders, I might find out and I might not. Nothing for me to worry about now. Guess I was wrong about finding something exciting.

It had been about half an hour since I left the den and decided that was plenty of time looking at the same old things. I turned and started walking back to Humphrey. That was until I was hit in the head with something. I looked down to where I heard it land and saw that it was a rock. Who the hell was throwing things at me? That's when my ears heard another human sound. I whipped around to find another group of humans, except this time they looked a lot smaller and younger. My guess is that they were still pups.

They seemed to be laughing as they pointed at me. So those were the jerks who threw that rock at my head. I didn't like it, but hey at least it's something new. So I sat down and decided to study them a little. This is the first time I had ever seen a human pup.

They were in a group of five, most of them looking fairly small, some being taller than the others making them look unique. Only one was fatter than the rest and he seemed to be the one doing most of the laughing, and pointing and talking. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he's the leader of there pack. Also, I think he was making fun of me. It made me growl a little under my breath. I guess it wasn't quite enough because it caught their attention. The fat one just laughed a little more and looked as though he was mocking me saying 'what was I going to do'.

I don't know why but my patients was wearing thin with these humans; my temper slowly rising. I took a deep breath to compose myself and decided it would be best if I left.

I was only half way turned around when another rock landed by me, then another, and another. Those brats where trying to pelt me with these damn pebbles. I rolled my eyes and decided to leave that alone. It was only when a slightly larger stone hit my back that I lost it. I honestly don't know what came over me, it's like someone else took over my body. I felt my eyes narrow and my blood start to boil. Complete and utter rage filled my body and without another thought I sprinted at the fence. I was there in less than a second snarling, barking, and growling at the little pests on the other side of the damned fence.

To my satisfaction, it caused them to jump back and scream in fright. Unfortunately, they quickly recovered from my scare. They felt safe with me contained. They thought that this fence was going to protect them. It was only after I bit into the fence and broke off a piece of it that there eyes widened in fear. I snarled again and that was the final thing that made them flee away in fear. I stepped back from the fence and cackled as I watched them run away.

When they were out of sight I composed myself and calmed down, the adrenaline fading away. The rage cleared out of my head and I immediately stopped laughing. I had actually gotten a high from seeing those human pups terrified. And my laugh, it sounded so... evil. It sent a chill down my spine, because that felt more natural than anything I've done here. What was wrong with me? Is that who I really am, some sadistic wolf who finds pleasure in tormenting others.

I shook the thought away, I didn't want to think like that. I probably just lost my temper and wasn't thinking straight. I was just getting the last laugh. Yah, that's what it was! Nothing more than just that.

"McCabe!" I heard Humphrey shout over to me with a panicked urgency. "Is everything ok, I heard snarling and barking?!"

"Everythings fine, just some pesky humans being assholes." I told him.

He rolled his eyes. "Besides the rangers, I hate humans."

"Ain't that the truth." I sighed.

"It looks like you need to calm down a little, let's go take a dip in the pond." He suggested.

"That sounds great." I agreed. I followed him over towards the pond, and as I did I couldn't help but think back to how I acted only moments ago. I was so feral, it was kind of scarry. With all honesty, if that's who I really am I don't want to get my memory back.

The hours quickly flew by as Humphrey and I went on throughout the day. I decided that it would be best if I stuck around Humphrey for the rest of the day. I didn't want to have another outburst and being around Humphrey kept me calm. I don't think that I'll just randomly go into a rage again like I did back there, I just want to be safe.

I don't know if Humphrey noticed my sudden clingyness to him, and if he has then he hasn't shown any signs of caring. He actually seems to be enjoying our time together. We just lyed down and talked. He did most of the talikng, telling me about his fun times he had in Jasper. One of his stories caught my attention greatly.

"This log sledding, how easy is it to learn?" I questioned.

"Well, I guess it's not that hard. It took my friends and I all winter to figure it out and we were starting from scratch. I bet I could teach you all I know in a couple of days, maybe weeks."

"I can't wait. It sounds better than doing anything here." I sighed.

"Yah, but what can we do about it. We're stuck here until the humans decided we can leave." He reminded me. I already knew that. Still, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

We continued to talk for a little bit until my growling stomach interrupted our conversation. I wouldn't be this hungry if the humans didn't forger to feed us lunch. Been here for three weeks and this is the only time they've missed.

"Come on, let's go see if they've brought us dinner yet." I said, getting up. Humphrey followed close behind. Luckily when we got there, a couple pieces of meat were left out for us. We quickly ate those up, and man were they delicious. These ones tasted a little different than the other ones, though. I couldn't explain what it was, but it seemed to make it better.

"Wow man, that was a really great slab of meat." Humphrey said with a little chuckled. For some reason I laughed with him. That's when I felt as though everything became lighter. I felt as though I could fly.

"Whatever they put in that, they need to do that with everything." I said happily. I don't know why, but I felt really happy all of a sudden. My mind started to become hazy and it wasn't until I was falling towards the ground that I realized what had happened. They had drugged our food.

I quickly lurched upwards and suppressed a scream. My breathing was heavy and my eyes wide as they darted around, trying to figure out where I was. When I saw that I was in the same exact spot I fell asleep, I calmed down. Damn those nightmares.

I got up slowly with a groan, an aching pain in my head causing my discomfort. Stupid drugs. Why the hell would those guys give us drugs and leave us in the same place. It didn't make any sence. What where these humans playing at.

It was just about to get dark out, telling me we've been out for a couple of hours. I walked over to Humphrey and started shaking him awake. He mumbled a few things and told me to go away. I rolled my eyes and decided to play a little dirty. I put my paw on his ribs and gently applied pressure. That did the trick, and he shot up like a geyser.

After he composed himself he glared at me and grumbled a few things under his breath that I don't need to repeat.

"Wake up next time and I won't have to do that." I chuckled.

"Whatever. But if you do that again I'm going to wake up biting." He threatened. That got us both to chuckle, we knew he wouldn't hurt anyone. I told him that we should get to the den. He agreed with a yawn, telling me he was ready to go back to sleep.

While we walked I couldn't help but think back to why the humans did that to us. I mean, they had to have a reason right? What was the whole point of that? That's when I remembered something. This wasn't the first time for this to happen to me. It was actually when Humphrey first got here. I didn't realize it until now because I thought I just dozed off after eating, but this makes more sence. They do this to bring in new wolves.

Suddenly a feeling overcame me, I felt like I was being watched. I stopped Humphrey for a second, telling him to be quiet.

"I think there's someone else in here with us." I whispered to Humphrey.

He rolled his eyes and mumbled a few choice words. Humphrey is kind of grumpy today. Maybe I shouldn't have woken him up by pressing down on his ribs. That would make anyone upset.

"Alright, enough with the spying on us, come on out here so I don't have to drag you." I called out. At first there was no responce, only silence filled the air. But I knew if I waited a moment this wolf would show themself, and they did. Of course, it wasn't the type of greeting I was expecting.

It happened in the blink of an eye as, out of nowhere, a wolf came screaming out of the bushes, claws extended ready to slash at me. Again, for the second time today, I felt as though someone else took control over my body. I easily ducked under her attack and grabbed one of the legs. Using the leg I had and the momentum they created, I easily threw the attacker a few yards. How I did that, well that's a mystery to me. But I wasn't going to let this wolf know that.

The wolf got up and snarled at me, to my shock it was a female. And upon first sight I could have sworn the world started melting around me. She may be attacking me at this moment and wasn't showing any signs of being friendly, but I had to admit she was a very beautiful wolf. Having silky white fur, a nice curved body and gorgeous silver eyes. I could hardly take my eyes off of her.

"You son of a bitch, I'll make you pay for that." Even her voice was that of an angel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone just needs to calm down here." Humphrey said stepping in the middle of us.

"And why should I after you kidnapped me." She yelled furiously.

"Kidnapped? No you have this all wrong." I told her. She looked at me with hatred, then at Humphrey, then back at me.

"OK then, what's going on here?" She asked.

I noticed that she wasn't putting as much pressure on her left front leg, saw that it had a few human bandages on it and pointed it out to her. "I'm going to say because of that." She looked down at her leg in confusion. She looked back at me as if to say what her leg had to do with any of this.

"First of all, you're in a human place. These rangers bring in hurt wolves, fix them up, put us here until we're better the release us." Humphrey explained. She still looked a bit confused, but seemed to be getting it for the most part.

"Wait, so this isn't your territory?" She questioned. We shook our heads.

"We've only been here for a couple weeks." I told her.

"Oh... sorry about attacking you then." She laughed nervously. I chuckled and told her it was no problem.

"So, besides being held by humans, do you have any idea where we are?" She asked. I was about to tell her, but held back. She was probably going to want to have a lot of answers which would take awhile.

"Tell you what, come back to the den and we will tell you everything you want to know." I suggested. She shrugged her shoulders and agreed. With a smile I told her to follow me.

I walked on with the girl following behind. Humphrey quickly came up to my side. He was looking at me strangely, he'd never looked at me lIke this before.

"How'd you do that?" He whispered. I instantly knew that he was talking about the little fight between me and that girl. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I honestly don't know. I guess it was just instincts that kicked in. Which I'm guessing means I'm probably an alpha, or something like that." I replied. He nodded his head saying that it made sense.

We made it to the den and I told her to make herself at home. She found a spot near the entrance of the den and lyed down there.

"So is anyone going to explain to me what's going on here?"

"Of course." I told her. I then explained that we were in a place called Sawtooth in Idaho. At least that's what Humphrey told me. She asked how we ended up here. I told her that I was brought here for some head injurys. I explained to her that I had gotten amnesia and couldn't remember anything. Also, it was kind of obvious to me that I had gotten a concussion.

Humphrey's explication was a little longer than mine. He started from the beginning with being relocated until now. It took awhile, but it was obvious she was interested in the whole thing. At the end of it she even had a few tears in her eyes.

"Now what about you? What's your story?" I asked.

"Well, I'm from a large pack down south in Wyoming called Yellowstone." She said.

"Yellowstone? Why does that sound so familiar." Humphrey questioned himself. We just ignored him.

"So if your from there, how did you end all the way up here?"

"I... was doing a little traveling." She stuttered out. Obviously that wasn't the reason why, but I wasn't going to hold it against her. Her life is her life. "I tripped off a small cliff and I guess that's how this happened" She explained pointing to her leg.

"At leat you didn't do it trying to impress someone." I chuckled, getting a giggle out of her. I saw Humphrey roll his eyes with annoyance.

"What can I say, love makes you do stupid things." He said.

"You know, we still don't know your name." I said just realizing this now.

"Its Abby." She told us, followed by a large yawn. "Wow, I just got very drowsy." She said.

"That's probably an aftershock of the drugs they gave you. Just get some rest and we'll talk more tomorrow." Humphrey said. She nodded her head sleepily and put her head on the floor, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Be careful McCabe." I heard Humphrey chuckle.

"What?" I asked confused.

"I think you might be falling in love." He laughed out.

I looked at him in shock. "What, no. I just met her."

He continued to chuckle. "Trust me, I know what love looks like. But hey, if you don't believe me that's fine. Just try not to lye to yourself. That's not a fun thing to go through." He told me, as he too decided to lye down and get some sleep.

"Goodnight McCabe." He mumbled out before falling asleep, still tired from the drugged meat.

I sighed and looked over at Abby. Maybe Humphrey is right. No way to tell now. I'll just have to get to know her better.

"Goodnight Humphrey." I said as I left the den to go and sleep in my usual spot, my mind still on that beatiful wolf, Abby.


	33. A Plan to Save Them All Maybe

**Kate**

I love my home, I swear I really do. Jasper is a really nice place with beautiful scenery at every corner. But as of right now I wish I could be any place but Jasper, for it has been turned into a battlefield of hell. Never in my life did I think I would ever have to be involved in a war. I had always imagined having a nice simple life. You know; just do my daily alpha duties, get married, have pups and then retire and die happily. Nowhere in my fantasy did I expect there to be a war. Of course I never thought that my mate would be an omega. He's not yet, but once he gets back that's going to be the first thing we do.

Let me tell you a little something about war, it is the worst thing wolfly possible. And it's not just the battles, no that's just half of the nightmare. Food is also another issue. With there being constant attacks on our hunting parties, we scarcely ever have a successful hunt. So we have to ration everything. Rationing a couple of caribou between dozens of wolves isn't the easiest thing to do. Some have even turned to berries for something to eat, mostly the omegas since they are bottom priority for any of this. It may sound mean, but they understand why. They aren't the ones fighting or hunting or any of that. So they are more than happy to give up some food for their survival.

Another tedious thing is all the meetings. And me being the daughter to the head alpha, I have to be there at every one of them. Meeting after meeting after meeting for five weeks, it is starting to drive me a little insane. We have to make a call on the rations for the week, talk about troubles within the pack (if things weren't hard enough, there are still fights between our own pack mates), talk about tactics and strategies for hours, and so much more that I am just on the brink of a melt down.

Its actually the fighting that us keeping me a little sane, but even then it's one of the worst places to be. The fights usually don't end with someone dying. Its usually a couple of severe injuries, and a lot of minor injuries. At least that is how it was until the south started getting majorly involved. Now at least one or two wolves from our side die each battle. It may not seem like much, but to a wolf pack every death is a great blow to us. And I've been at every one of them to witness their beaten, bloody bodies. Luckily, there haven't been to many battles. There are only six that we could really count battles. In those six battles we've lost 17 wolves, and we estimate they've only lost around five.

We were doing fairly good in the first couple of battles, driving them back to the east. Moral was really high back then, everyone thinking the battle would end as fast as it started. But like I said, everything changed with the souths involvement. With them in play they have pushed us past our border and where now in western territory. We are losing this war and it is no secret. Everyone knows we need to do something to stop the progression of Gavin and Kanes' packs.

I, myself, wasn't fairing very well. I've gotten little to no sleep for the past five weeks. I've fought in every battle and I can say that it is the worst place to be. The screams and crys of pain piercing the air, the bloody smells that flooded your nose, the look on a dead pack members face, it was all nightmare fuel. I have witnessed all of this and I'm not even on the front lines. Obviously because I'm a high priority target to the enemy pack. I just can't imagine what those wolves go through, and I wish I never have to find out.

"Kate, Kate..." I heard my name being called, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked.

"I asked if you had any thoughts on how to deal with this threat. You know, as well as we all do, that this war isn't going in our favor. We need something to help turn the tides." My father explained to me, like he has for the past couple of days. I had been thinking long and hard about this because I really wouldn't like to see my pack fall to tyrants. It was obvious that we needed an ally. It was finding one that was hard. And the obvious choice really isn't that obvious.

"I say we try everything we can to make an alliance with the north." I suggested. Like I said, it may seem obvious but the north aren't known for their helpful nature. They like to keep to themselves as much as possible. Everyone knew this, and that's why it hasn't come up yet.

Tony and my father looked at each other nervously like they had something to hide. Tony nodded his head making my father sigh and look back to the group which consisted also of Eve, Lilly, Garth, Hutch, Claw, Scar, and Bridger. Each one of us being a high ranking wolf in this war. Well except for Lilly, she's just here for safety reasons.

"I guess it's about time we came out with the truth." He sighed. "We didn't want to make any of you stressed out by this, or lose any hope. The North won't help us. We already sent some diplomats for the pack up there a couple of weeks ago in hopes that they could help us eradicate this war. Unfortunately, the north has told us they want nothing to do with this war. Not until it reaches their packs' territory."

Everyones mood suddenly changed as the atmosphere in the den became gloomy. Is that it then, are we going to be taken over by psychopaths, because if we are I am certain that no one is this den will be spared. We'll most likely be executed. The north was our only hope for survival at this point. Without them, it is going to take a miracle to win this war.

"Idiot." Garth suddenly yeld and he hit himself on the forehead.

"What is it, Garth?" Tony asked.

"I'm so stupid, I can't believe I forgot about this." He scolded himself.

"Garth, you need to calm down and tell us what is going on." Dad said.

"On our trip to go and get Kate, Lilly and I accidentally came upon a pack." He explained. He then looked over to his father. "A pack that my father knows all to well."

Tony looked confused for a second, but became wide eyed in realization. "You came into contact with the Banff and Glacier pack?" He asked in shock. Garth nodded.

"What relation do you have with them?" Mom asked. Tony suddenly got really nervous. He started tapping at the ground and scratching the back if his head.

"Well you see, for a long time my family helped supply food for them after their war. I stopped it awhile ago when the east completely ran out of food."

"You mean to tell me that the whole reason your pack is starving is because you were feeding a foreign pack?" Dad asked. Tony nodded his head reluctantly.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Dad questioned, causing Tony become shocked. "We would have helped in any way we could."

"I didn't want to put the bother on you. It was a thing my family started and I kept it in the family." Tony explained.

"Yah, yah, yah, we can get back to all that." Garth said urgently. "I think I know the solution to our problem. They said they'd do anything to help repay the favor for us."

"I don't know, son. They already had a pretty devastating war themselves. Plus, that was quite some time ago. All the wolves that fought in it are dead."

"It doesn't mean that they aren't trained for battle. They can help us. It won't hurt to try." He argued. And to tell the truth, he had me sold on the plan. We're all desperate for an upper paw and this is it. Having not only one, but two packs help us could mean a defeat for the east and south. And like he said, it wouldn't hurt to try. I expressed my thoughts on this plan as well as did the others. The feeling was mutual between everyone. We needed allies and these two packs are our best shot without the north willing to help.

"Then it is decided." Dad concluded. "We will send some representatives to ask for help."

"Sir, I think I should be the one to go and talk to him." Garth said.

"No, Garth. Its to dangerous for you to go out there. There are wolves everywhere around the border. If they see you and capture you it will be the end of this war." Tony pointed out.

"It would be best if someone from our family went. Your in no shape to do anything, so I'm the best wolf for the job." Garth fought back. Garth had Tony there, Garth would be the best wolf to go and do this, and Tony understood that.

With a sigh, Tony reluctantly agreed into letting him go. "Just promise me you'll be safe. Your my only family I have left, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Garth nodded with a cocky smile. "Don't worry dad, I'll make it back in one piece."

"Good. You will leave a little after it gets dark. Hopefully, the cover of night will help you." Dad said. Everyone was in agreement and the meeting was about to come to a close when an idea popped into my mind. From what I know of the Glacier and Banff packs is that they aren't to far from Sawtooth. Maybe I could make a little visit down south.

"I'll go with him." I volunteered. "It isn't safe for him to go alone, it would be better if I went along as well."

Mom and dad looked a little concerned, but understood where I was coming from. So they too decided to let me go along. Of course they actually think I'll be with Garth the whole time, which is not the case. My plan is , when we get out of the pack, to sprint as fast as I can to Sawtooth to see if I can find Humphrey. Then I'll make my way back, hopefully with Humphrey, to a meeting point that I'll make with Garth on the way. It was a perfect plan.

As the hours passed and the time grew nearer for us to leave, the more anxious I grew. I haven't seen Humphrey in so long and it's just torture. I still don't even know if he's alive or not. But I haven't given up on the hope that he's still kicking around. Of course, that's not the only reason for my anxiety. The fate of our pack was up to whether or not Garth would be able to get those packs to ally themselves with us.

In what seemed like barely any time, Garth and I were preparing ourselves to leave. The sun had set only minutes ago, basking the forest around us in a dark blanket that would hopefully help cover us from our enemies. The last thing that we needed to happen would be Garth and I getting captured. Our parents would do anything for our safety, including surrendering.

"Ready to go?" Garth asked, just walking away from Lilly who was almost in tears. She really didn't want him to leave. I understand that feeling all to well. But she has nothing to worry about. Garths a capable enough wolf to be able to get out of the pack and return without evee being detected. Honestly, he probably didn't even need me to go with him on this mission. I'm just here to go and get Humphrey back.

"Been ready for hours, let's get going." I urged wanting to leave right away. Garth took a final look back at Lilly with a reassuring smile. Then we started another adventure, the only difference is that this one would decided the fate of Jasper.

Obviously, the first part is to sneak out of the pack. It wasn't going to be that easy due to the rouges making sure no one gets in or out of the west. Lucky for Garth and I, we are some of the best Alphas in all of Jasper. I had no doubt in my mind that we'd be able to get past the border and out of harms way. Just before we reaches the border, Garth started talking.

"I know the real reason you're coming." He whispered over to me.

I looked at him skepticaly, "Oh do you now?" I asked.

"Well its pretty obvious. Your going to go try and find Humphrey. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." He chuckled. I shrugged, what can I say, wolves do crazy things for love.

We fell silent when we reached the crossover point. Now we were in dangerous territory. One wrong move and that's the end. But like I said before, we are both highly skilled for this kind of stuff and with ease we snuck out of the threat zone. Those wolves had no idea that some of there most wanted wolves were right under their noses.

"Great, now that that's over with this is where I'll take my leave." I told Garth. He nodded and we decided on a rendezvous point. In about four days time we'd meet up again a little outside of the Glacier pack.

"Good luck Kate, I hope you find him." Garth told me.

"Thanks Garth. And let's pray to Lupa that those packs will help us." And just like that I was sprinting down south to Sawtooth with only one thing in mind; that I am going to find Humphrey and I am going to bring him home.


	34. Freedom

**Humphrey**

I think it's almost about time for me to get out of this place. Five and a half weeks I've been cooped up in this cage. Even though it hasn't been all that bad, I still have my dislikes for the place. For instance, being an omega and not being able to do anything for weeks has been driving me insane. And I've tried to entertain myself, but McCabe and Abby have kept me from doing anything. It was probably for the best, but still. But I can put all of that behind me now, because I'm pretty sure it's about time for me to leave.

Yesterday I was drugged again, being tricked and eating that meat that I still think tastes better than anything else I have ever had. Anyway, when I became conscious, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't have any bandages on me. Not only that, I could actually walk on my leg again. My ribs also felt better then they had in forever. I just hope that they decide to release me soon, it's getting kind of lonely in here.

About a week ago was the time that both McCabe and Abby were set free. I had no idea it was going to happen. One moment we were all sitting around, laughing, having a good time; then I'm pretty sure we were all shot by tranquilizers. When I woke up I couldn't find any sign of the two. I was happy for them, because they hated it here. The confinement drove both of them crazy. It was each other that kept them from that.

I knew from the first time I saw them interact when they weren't fighting that they were going to be great friends, and possibly even more than that. The morning after we first met her, I woke up to the two of them talking. They were asking each other about their lives, McCabe tried to answer to the best of his ability. And to my suprise, Abby was very open to just have met us the day before. I didn't let them know I was awake and just kept listening for awhile. McCabe got her to admit the truth about why she was traveling. Apparently she was in the same boat as Kate, being forced into an arranged marriage. Not to unite packs or anything like that, but she still didn't want to go through with it. So she ran.

Abby is quite the wolf, I'll tell you. Ever since I met McCabe he's had a bad habit of not having any manners. I usually just ignored it, but the first time Abby noticed it, she volunteered to help him with it. It was funny watching how she did it. Every time he did something right, he was aloud to eat. But if he did something wrong then he couldn't. She was treating him like a pet dog. Much to my amusement and his embarrassment.

She even tried things to help get him memory back. It was a sweet thing to do for him, but it was all for nothing. No matter what she tried to do it never worked. Its almost been six weeks, if he hasn't gotten them back yet then it is highly unlikely for him to ever get them back.

Yah, they didn't want to show it but it was kind of obvious that the two of them had something going. At nights when Abby thought I was asleep, she would go and seek out to see McCabe and I'm guessing sleep next to him, then try and return before I woke up. They never knew that I knew.

But I think the thing that sealed the deal for the two was on the night of the full moon. They honestly have me to thank for it since I'm the one that started to howl. When I looked up at that moon the only thing I could think about was Kate, and the time us two howled when we finally admitted our feelings for each other. I just couldn't help myself and I howled up at the moon. When I had gotten done howling, both McCabe and Abby complimented me telling me I had a beautiful howl. Thats when Abby had an idea.

"Hey McCabe, you think that you're up for a howl?" She had asked wit confidence. That was another thing about Abby, she was never afraid to say or ask whatever was on her mind. McCabes face went pale and he tried to say something, but all that came out was stuttered words.

"I don't think I can. Honestly, I don't think I ever have." He had finally said. Abby just giggled.

"That's ok, all you got to know is to howl from the heart." She told him. He finally agreed after persuasion from both myself and Abby. Of course he was a little reluctant and nervous, but who isn't on their first howl. Especially with such a pretty wolf.

"I'll go first." She had said to him, "and you join in when you feel comfortable." McCabe nodded, which made Abby smile. She faced the moon with eagerness and after a deep breath she released the second most beautiful howl I've ever heard. (Kates is the first, duh.) I had just smiled as I listened to her beautiful song. McCabe, on the other paw, was in a state of shock wit his mouth agaped. He looked at her in awe like she was some sort of goddess. He did this for awhile until I finally nudged at him to go and howl. He nervously nodded and shakily sat down next to her.

With a few calming breaths, McCabe finally pointed his muzzle to the moon and began his howl. Understandably, it was a little choppy at first. No one's perfect on their first howl, it takes practice. But it didn't seem to matter to the two. When his howl did clear up it sounded amazing. The best part of it being that the two's howl matched up perfectly. I could see it on their faces that they were enjoying themselves.

When their howl was over they had looked at each other with love in their eyes. Still, they didn't admit it. Was this what it looked like when Kate and I were around each other?

Yah, I miss those two right now. Seeing their relationship with each other grow was amusing to watch. Plus, the company would be nice. But alas, I was cursed to solitude at the moment. Lying down on top of the den all by my lonesome. I guess the only upside to having the two gone is the peace and quiet of it all.

"HUMPHREY." Someone suddenly shouted causing me to shoot up from my spot on top of the den. Unfortunately, when this happened I lost my footing and slipped straight off the front. I groaned a little in pain as I brought myslef back up to my paws. Luckily it wasn't to far of a drop, unluckily it caused my ribs to start to ache again.

"Humphrey." The voice shouted again. When I heard it the second time my eyes became wide. I rushed towards the sound of the voice which came from the forest side of the enclosure. When I reached it my suspicions had been confirmed of who the voice belonged to.

"McCabe!" I shouted, rushing over to the fence.

"Hey man, how's it going?" He asked with a smile. I couldn't believe it. I honestly thought I wouldn't see him again. I thought that the humans would have taken them family away.

"Its going fine, I guess. How'd you get here?" I asked.

"We were only dropped off about a week from here. Abby recognized it and we decided to come by and check if you were still here since you weren't with the two of us." He explained.

"So where's Abby?" I questioned.

"Oh she went out hunting while I decided to come and check up on you." He told me. I nodded, this was great. It was so good to see him even if it has only been a week. A week in solitude feels like an eternity.

"Hey, you're not wearing your bandages anymore!" He pointed out.

"Yah, they took them off a couple of days ago. It feels great. I can put more pressure on my leg, and my ribs are feeling better. Well, they were." I told him. He looked at me confused, and asked what I meant. I explained to him what happened and instantly his face puffed up from trying to hold in a laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "Go ahead, let it out." He burst out laughing. It made me smile, I always liked his laugh.

After he calmed down, he got a little more serious. He put on a devious little smile. "How's about we get you out of there?" He asked me.

My eyes lit up and my whole body became filled with excitement. I urged him to do whatever he was going to do. He told me to calm down, then he pointed at the ground with a smile. I got exactly what he was saying. Instantly we started digging. I don't know why I didn't think about this earlier. I guess it was just best for me to stay here because of my injuries so the humans could get me back to my full health.

Now I'm not really fully healed, but I'm well enough to get out of here. I knew I was going to get out of here soon; I just didn't expect this soon or in this way. It works I guess.

We had only been digging for about five minutes when we ran into a little bit of a problem. Right as the fence ended, we hit solid stone which stopped us from digging down any further. It wasn't deep enough to go under it.

"Dammit." McCabe seethed in annoyance.

"So, have a backup plan?" I asked him. He just shushed me and told me to let him think for a second. He examined the fence and gave it a little tug wit his mouth. It gave a little.

"Here, you push and I'll pull it. Maybe we can bring it far enough up for you to crawl under." He told me. I nodded and started pushing on the gate. Little by little it seemed like the fence was being risen. It was a slow process, but we were gaining progress. Eventually I got my paws under it, and then my head. I had crawled out about halfway when suddenly there was a sound of talking. It was human and it was getting close. That's when we became a little frantic.

"Come on Humphrey, hurry up." McCabe mumbled through his mouth full of fence. It took all thr strength o had but with one final push, I launched myslef out from under the fence and into the outside world.

"Now run." McCabe shouted, not letting me take a break. He sprinted off into the forest and I chased after him close behind. The last thing I heard before entering the trees was the shouting of humans.

McCabe and I ran for a couple of minutes, making sure that we got as far away from the humans as possible. Even if they did help us, I didn't want to be anywhere near them. Soon we started to slow down and eventually came to a stop.

"Well that was a close one." McCabe said with a sigh of relief. I nodded in agreement, not really able to breath that well. Not doing any sort of activity for a couple of months really puts you out of shape.

"A little tired?" McCabe chuckled.

"Shut... up." I heaved out.

It didn't take us long before we started walking off again. McCabe said that we needed to go and meet Abby. I walked side by side with him as we talked about what traspired over the time we hadn't seen each other. My life hadn't been all that eventful since I was locked up in a cage. The only thing to really happen to me was that I got my bandages off.

McCabe said that nothing really happened with either of them also. He said that after they had been dropped off they made the plan to come and get me. It was thoughtful of them and it made me happy knowing that they did actually care fore me.

Then the topic of his memory came up again. He just shrugged it off.

"I've come to accept that I'm probably never getting it back." He told me. "So I've decided to not dwell on the past and look on towards the future. Abby said she's going to help me every step of the way."

I smirked,"So you and Abby are going to be together for awhile?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yah, and before you say anything we are dating." He said matter of factly.

"Well its about time." I said.

"Oh shut up, it took you nearly two years." He shot back.

"That's because there was a strict law that was prohibiting me from doing it. I woukd have been banished."

There was a pause for a second..."Well, I guess you got me there." He shrugged.

"So we're you the one who asked, or was it Abby?"

"Pftt, it was me of course. I mean, I'm the guy." He said while nervously laughing.

"Oh really." A new voice added. Both McCabe and I jumped from the sudden appearance of Abby. "Because I remember you having a nervous breakdown when I asked you." She giggled.

"It wasn't that bad." McCabe shouted. That only caused Abby to laugh more. "Whatever you say sweetie."

"Did you get the food or not?" McCabe asked in annoyance.

"Of course I did." Abby told him while gesturing for us to follow her.

I have to admit, these two made a cute, funny couple. The way they treated each other seemed questionable, but you could tell that the love is there. I honestly won't be suprised if one day the two become mates. I bet the two would live a happy life together.

We got there and quickly downed the deer that Abby had generously gotten for us. Its been a long time since I had a fresh kill, and I had no idea how much I missed it until I took my first bite. After I took my initial bite, I couldn't stop myself from devouring half the animal.

"That was delicious." I moaned as I sat back from the deer. McCabe and Abby just looked at me in amusement.

"So, what's the plan now?" Abby questioned. We looked at each other and no one said a thing. But I knew exactly what I needed to do.

"I've got to get back to Kate." I told them. They smacked their heads.

"Duh, how could we of forgotten that?" McCabe asked himself. I would honestly love to hang around with the two more, but I made a promise to myslef and Kate that I woukd return to her as soon as possible. Of course, the first thing I had to do was find out exactly where I was and how far from Kate I was. I don't even know if she's in Sawtooth. No matter where she is I need to go and find her. I can't be away from her any longer than I already have been.

My thoughts then turned again to the two wolves in front of me. They really didn't have anywhere to go themselves. Technically, both of them are lone wolves. And if they aren't planning on going anywhere else...

"How about you guys come with me?" I suggested in aspiration. It would be great to spend even more time with these two. I don't know what it is about them, but they make me really happy whenever I'm around them. Its just like when I hang out around with Salty, Shaky and Mooch.

The two wagged their tails excitedly, "Of course, we have nothing better to do." Abby agreed

"Great, now all we need to do is figure out where to go!"

It was only after the second hour of looking that we finally figured out where the hell we were going. Up to that point, it was a lot of arguing and shouting from the two love birds who wouldn't agree on anything. Even though neither of them have any idea where we are, both of them still were persistent on going there way. During one of the arguments I decided that I had heard enough and decided to go have a look of my own.

As I walked, a memory popped into my head. I remember seeing something tgat resembled a map back at the ranger station. It wasn't the smartest thing I could have done, but it was the quickest and I wanted to see Kate as fast as I possibly could. I silently went back to the atation, found the map and found out where we were and where to go.

We were a couple miles south of where everyone in Sawtooth is. It was the best news I had found out all day. It would honestly take us a little over a half hour to get there if we ran. Maybe an hour if we walked, but I had no intentions of walking there. I woukd release all my pent up energy if I had to.

I made my way back to the arguing couple only to find them in a hug. Finally the two stopped bickering and decided to grow up a little. I got their attention and told them what I found out. With our new knowledge, we decided it would be best to start heading out now. It was only a few hours from dark and we didn't want to be traveling at night.

Going at a fast pace, we immediately headed in the direction of my family. The excitement of going to be able to see them was overwhelming me. Of course Kate was the main wolf I wanted to see, mostly because I have known her much longer than any of these others; but I also can't wait to see my other family members. Mom and dad, Reed, Steven, Megan, all of them. And Evenow if the others aren't technically family, I still can't wait to be able to see them again.

As we ran, I actually started to find familiar landmarks of Sawtooth. I stopped for a second and scanned the area around me. It took me a second, but I soon realized why this place looked familiar. It was the place where I ran off to and my parents chased me down to talk about me. This was where I finally accepted them as being my parents.

McCabe asked me what was up, but I just told him it was nothing. Just that we were getting close. This wasn't too far off from the den. And upon comprehending how close I actually was, I just couldn't compose myself anymore. I took off in a dead sprint off towards the den. I heard the shouts of the other two from behind me, but I paid no attention to them.

I nearly exploded once the den finally came into sight. My heart pounding a mile a minute from the anticipation of seeing everyone again after the months of being away from them. McCabe and Abby are great, but they're not Kate. I picked up my pace a little more and I was closeing the distance fast.

Fifty feet...

Twenty feet...

Five feet...

I burst through the den I skidded to a stop so I didn't slam into a wall. I screamed Kates name, announcing that I was finally back. I looked around the den and the smile vanished from my face. No one was here. I rolled my eyes, 'they must be in the other den' I thought to myself. Without another thought I sprinted off towards that den. As I exited, McCabe and Abby had just arrived. They sighed in annoyance as they saw me bolt in another direction and followed behind again.

This could be the only place they would be unless they were all out doing something, which I really hope that they aren't because I don't want to go out looking for them or wait forever for them to get back. But when I got the scent of other wolves coming from the den straight in front of me, I almost guaranteed that I was going to see them.

Before I went bursting in, I decided it would probably be smarter to take it slowly. I don't want them freaking out on me and attacking me. That woukd be the worst thing that could happen.

I slowly walked into the den and heard voices talking. I peeked around the corner to see my parents and siblings all huddle around a deer eating there dinner. Only for a momment, Reed glanced up. That's all he needed to do for our eyes to connect. His mouth dropped and he peered at me speachless. Dad asked him what was wrong. He pointed right at me as his face lit up. The rest looked at me and I watched as they all looked shocked that I was there.

"Humphrey!" My siblings yelled as they ran over to me. They all locked onto me and yelled how much they missed me. Mom and dad walked over towards me with huge grins on. I peeled off my brothers and sister and went over to them. They hugged me and told me that they were so glad to finally see me.

"We all missed you a lot, especially them." Mom said pointing at my siblings.

"Well I've definitely missed all of you too."

It was at that moment where McCabe and Abby came into the den panting. They looked up at me annoyed.

"How are you able to run so fast after being den-ridden for months." McCabe gasped out.

"Come on, you two should be in a lot more shape than me." I insulted.

"You haven't been running for days." Abby shot back. I shrugged my shoulders.

" Touche."

"Uhhh, so are you going to introduce us to them?" Dad asked.

"Oh sorry, where are my manners. These are the wolves who were with me. That's Abby and that's McCabe. McCabe, Abby, this is my family."

They all said their hellos and introduced one another to each other. That's when my mind went back to the real reason why I really wanted to get back to here.

"So, where's Kate?" I asked excitedly. My heart sank as I saw the looks on their faces.

"She's not here Humphrey. They had to go back to Jasper." Then they proceeded to explain everything that had happened here while I was gone. I looked at awe at them. Jasper is at war? What the hell happened while we were gone.

"I need to get there." I immediately said.

"Wait, wait, wait. Humphrey, you need to rest." McCabe insisted.

"He's right, son. You need your rest. Besides, it's getting dark." Mom said.

I sighed, they were right. Even if I tried to get to Jasper, I wouldn't be able to make it. I'd have to stop half way through in a place I didn't know about. It was killing me to have to wait even longer, but come tomorrow I was going to go and get to Kate as soon as possible.


	35. At Long Last

**Kate**

I seriously need more sleep in my life. The war definitely hasn't helped with this issue in any way, and neither have my thoughts of Humphrey. It was usually at nights, when I should have been sleeping, that I would reflect on the things that had transpired. Whether it be dreadful images of battles, or just my longing for Humphrey. Either way, it kept me sleep deprived.

This didn't help when I was trying to run all the way to Sawtooth in one night. The drag of the egsaustion was weighing down on me, makeing things that much harder on me. The only thing that kept me going was the chance to see Humphrey again, to be in his warm embrace. To see his heart warming smile and hearty blue eyes. That's what kept my will strong; I was going to get to Humphrey tonight, or pass-out trying.

Luckily, the trail that leads from Jasper to Sawtooth is fairly easy to follow. I memorized it from when I returned on it, keeping it fresh in my mind for just this reason. I always had a feeling that I would be heading back this way. All I have to do is go west for awhile and then shoot straight south. I do have the occasional twist and turn with mountains and rivers, but other than that, it really is simple. That's fortunate for me, not having to do anything even more strenuous than sprinting all night is really helping me to keep on going.

Its a little past the middle of night and from what I remember I'm getting really close to Sawtooth. The clear sky and bright illuminating moon helped light the path in front of me. I honestly couldn't believe how close I am to seeing him. All this time where I've been without him, it's felt like it was going to be an eternity until I finally would be able to see him again. Honestly, that's how long it has felt like. But now, now I can't contain myself with how far away I am from him, the distance dissapating with every stride I take.

They were distant memories, but soon the family scent of Sawtooth came flooding into my nose. Even though it was dark, I could also make out a couple of distinct landmarks that I had gotten to know with my short time of being here. I passed by the cliff that had caused all this in the first place, then the lage field which Humphrey, the pups, and myself had played that game. I was about to run past the hill where Humphrey and I shared our first howl, when I suddenly picked up a small sound. I stopped for a second and trained my ears on the noise. It was soft, almost like a whisper, but I could tell it was a howl. My heart nearly skipped a beat as I recognized who's the howl belonged to.

"Humphrey!" I whispered softly to myself.

I nearly squealed with the excitement I felt. I could finally hear him, hear his beautiful howl take over the silent night. It wasnt long until I started climbing up the him. It took almost all the rest of my will power not to just sprint up there, tackle him and never let go. Instead, I thought that I'd repay the favor that he had done for me on what could only be explained as the best night of my life.

My heart melted after finally coming to the top of the large hill and finding the love of my life, the wolf of my dreams, the one who I will hold onto and be with until the end of time. Humphrey sat only ten yards in front of me, peacefully howling to the moon above. And even though it was beautiful, it wasn't one of joy. No, it showed saddness, frustration and disappointment. I'd have to fix that for him.

Ever so slowly and quietly I walked up next to Humphrey to where I was only a few feet away from him. Oh how I missed this handsome wolf in front of me. His sweet scent that I have been deprived of is almost intoxicating.

I lifted my muzzle into the air and, for the first time in weeks, began to howl. Unsurprisingly, Humphrey immediately stopped howling and I could only guess was staring at me. I just kept my eyes closed and continued to howl my love into the stars above.

After his initial shock, Humphrey quickly got over it and without hesitation immediately started to howl with me. My heart fluttered as Humphrey started howling a happy little howl, the howl that I have been waiting to hear for so, so long. Just as they had all those weeks ago, our howls danced in perfect unison with each other around the moon in this perfect night. I couldn't help but smile as I continued my duet with him. I had been imagining this moment ever since I was forced to give him away, thinking of ways to make this the most perfect moment of my life; but none of my fantasies could compare to the utmost perfection that has come from this single moment.

As all good things do, our howls slowly started to fade away, becoming lost to the stars above. Humphrey's and my head lowered until we were staring each other in they eyes. His gorgous blue eyes peering at me with all the love in the world. The next thing I knew Humphrey lunged his neck forward towards me and we connected in the most wonderful, passionate, kiss of my life. Words could not express what I was feeling at this moment. I could try to describe it as exhilarating, amazing, and other synonyms for these words; but they would all just be understatements, not able to capture the fulness of my emotions.

"I have been waiting so long for that." Humphrey whispered as he slowly pulled away.

"Your not the only one." I giggled sensually. We both stood there for a moment, admiring each others presence, both of us still being a little shocked that we were actually seeing each other again. I finally couldn't take it anymore as all the built up emotions, and excitement finally came exploding out of me. I tackled Humphrey to the ground, bringing him into the biggest hug I could manage. I pressed my head into his chest as I cried tears of joy. Finally, after so long I didn't have to hold in these emotions. No more hiding the tears from everyone. With Humphrey I could cry all I wanted and I knew he woukd stick with me until I stopped.

"I've missed you so much." I sobbed into him, squeezing even harder like I might lose him again if I let go.

He gently rubbed my head as he said words of comfort for me. Telling me that we were together now and that nothing was ever going to tear us apart again. Nothing on this earth would have the power to take me from him. I smiled a little from his words. How could I have been so lucky as to catch the attention of this omega all those years ago. Knowing now about his past makes it even that more amazing. Being born miles away from me, getting taken away and managing to be placed in Jasper out of all the places he could have been taken, the odds were definitely stacked against me. Yet, somehow through either sheer luck, or destiny, me and Humphrey were able to become best friends at such a young age which allowed for it to grow and blossom into the love we shared for one another now. It was absolutely amazing.

I eventually pulled myself together, being drained of all that pent up emotion. I got up off of him and helped him onto his paws. "Thank you, Humphrey. And I'm sorry for that little episode." I apologized, a little embraced from that scene.

He chuckled and shook his head. "There's no need to be sorry, Kate. I'll always be here when you need someone to cry on. That's one of my jobs, as an omega and as your boyfriend." I couldn't help but smile at him. He was always so sweet.

"That reminds me..." He stated. "Kate, we have known each other since either of us could remember. From our times as pups up until now we have always been friends, we've had each others backs, we have been there for one another. And now we are undeniably in love. But being away from you for so long has made me realize something. I don't ever want to be without you ever again. Life would almost not be worth living if you weren't there by my side. So Kate, what I'm asking is..." He paused for a moment, composing himself. My heart raced, anticipating what he was going to ask.

"Will you do the honors of making me the happiest wolf in the world and be my mate?" There was no hesitation.

"Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes." I squealed bringing him into another hug and kiss. I couldn't belive all of this. My dreams were all finally coming true. I was finally reunited with the love of my life, and now we were going to be mates. It just brought me so much joy and happiness. It felt nice be be happy again for once. For a moment, everything was perfect and it seemed nothing could ever stop it. Having all if this good emotion distract me and take my mind off the awfulness of what was happening back home.

* * *

 **Bit of a shorter chapter, but I think I make up with it with all this emotion pouring out of it, don't you agree. Anyway, thanks for reading. I can't thank all of you enough for the wonderful things you say about this story. It just makes everything that much better.**

 **Again, thanks for reading, and please leave a review.**

 **Peace Out**


	36. Hope

**Garth**

I watched as Kate sprinted off, makeing her way to Sawtooth in hopes of finding Humphrey. I smiled at her as she dissappeard into the darkness; it was going to be good for her if she can see him again. Now, don't get me wrong when I say this, because Kate is probably the strongest wolf in every aspect that I know of; but it would be good to finally get her to stop mopping about him nonstop. I know I have no idea what she us going through, I can't sympathize for her on this trial she has been going through, but this is war. If she doesn't find Humphrey, she needs to come back with a whole other attitude. I try to say this with the utmost kindness, but she needs to suck it up and move forward. She needs to be the alpha that the pack needs her to be.

I thought this to myself as I ran through the darkness under the illuminating moon. We have a lot of capable wolves, but Kate is just the best of the best and there is no doubt in my mind thst she will be a major factor in winning this war. That being said, we aren't going to win this war if I can't get John and his pack to help us.

My journey to the pack wouldn't take as long as last time, since Lilly wasn't with me and I'm able to sprint at full speed; also not having to have any stops. It would take less than two hours to reach the pack at the pace I am going at now. It wasn't long, but it would hopefully give me enough time to think about what I needed to say. Best case scenario is that I go up to him, ask for his help and he'll have no objection; he'll jump right on board with the idea. Unfortunately, that's not really how the world works. He'll have a lot of things to talk about with his co-leader from the Banff side of the pack. Its a possibility that I'm makeing this journey for nothing; getting there and not being able to convince them to help us. I mean, I won't blame them, but it woukd be nice if the last hope Jasper has would decide to help. Still, I wouldn't hold it against them if they decided to stay out of our problems.

I continued to run, and run, and run; really that's all I was doing. Hoping now that any minute I would reach the pack borders. Every now and then I would increase my strides, quickening my pace and makeing the pack thar much closer.

It was actually going to be nice; being able to stay in a pack that isn't at war. Not having to worry about daily meetings, or the possibility or getting called out to a battlefield to fight wolves that I've known my whole life. That's probably the hardest aspect of this war. The south I'm okay with fighting; I couldn't give a damn about them. But the wolves of the east, the ones who sided with Gavin, wolves I've grown up with and have befriended, wolves that I care about; now all following the cause of a mad wolf. Being deceived by that devilish bastard. It hurt to see them fighting us, and sometimes lying in a pool of their own blood, lifeless. That's my hell in this war, that's why I need it to end. I can't stand killing my brothers and sisters for much longer.

Finally, the familiar scent of the Glacier packs borders came flooding into my nose. I smiled at finally reaching my destination. And to my luck, another familiar scent caught my nose. It was that of Johns son; I don't think that I ever actually got his name. I decided that I should follow his scent and hope to find him before any other wolf from this pack finds me snooping around here and not taking to kindly to it.

Quickly, I followed his trail hoping to find him as soon as I possibly could. I didn't want to be out here longer than needed. I could actually use a nice den right now. Maybe John would give me a vacant den to sleep in for the night. That would be nice, not having to share a den with a half dozen other wolves. I may be a leader in this war, but I'm still an outsider to the pack. So, I'm forced to sleep in a makeshift den with my father and a few others on the far north side of the pack. The only good thing about it is that we are as far away from the rouges and the south as possible.

Soon, I heard the sound of a couple talking wolves. I snuck my way over and peaked out from behind a bush to get a look at who it was that is talking. To my relief, it was Johns son. Finally, now I could hopefully get some help.

I stepped out from behind the bushes and immediately the three wolves who were there turned towards me. For a second they stood there aggressively, expecting to fight; but once Johns son recognized who I was he called the other two off.

"Garth? What are you doing here?" He questioned, suprised that I just showed up out of nowhere.

"I need to talk to your father now, it's urgent." I pleaded to him.

"Uh, yah, of course. Come with me." He said. "You two just continue with the rest of the patrol." They nodded and walked off.

Then he gestured for us to leave and we took off towards the main grounds. You know, I never really took time to remember what this wolf looked like, the last time I saw him I was in a hurry and didn't really pay attention to his appearance; I'm just lucky I remembered his scent. Now looking at him I saw that he was mostly just white with a black tipped tail.

"So, you going to tell me what this is all about, or is that just for you and my father to discuss?" He asked.

"I mean, you can stay for when we talk if you want, but we really should wait until we get to him before I say anything." He nodded his head in understanding and didn't try to push me for information.

It was the middle of the night by the time I reached here, so when we walked into the middle of the pack I was a bit surprised to see so many wolves up. It was odd that any wolf would be up this late, let alone a whole pack. Unless, of course, it was a moonlight howl which it isn't.

"May I ask what's going on?" I questioned.

"Its just a little celebration our two packs throw every year. Its the week that our two packs finally called for a stop to all the bloodshed and ended the war. We have a week long party to celebrate how far we have come from all those years ago. Its quite a time of year." He explained to me excitedly. I looked around and noticed how beautiful everything looked. Dens were lined with all sorts of colorful flowers, vines were strung up ahead connected to dens, food was placed out everywhere, it all looked wonderful. Wolves stood around talking and laughing with one another, enjoying each others company. Pups ran around playing there games as they maneuvered through the crowds of wolves giggling with joy. It was such a joyous scene. Now it made me sick to my stomach that I was going to ask for this packs help to fight a war that has no concern with them.

He led me up toward the familiar den of John. Guild was not eating at me, yelling at me to run. It was wrong to try and drag these wolves down with us; they didn't deserve this. But, I have a duty to my pack to at least ask for their help. Like I said before, if they decline I will not be the least bit angry.

"Dad, we have a special guest." He called out. I looked and saw John eating with two other wolves, male and female, sitting in the middle of the den seeming to enjoy themselves. I could only guess the other two were the pack leaders from Banff. John rested his eyes on me and smiled.

"Garth, what a pleasant suprise." He said, getting up as quickly as he possibly could- which wasn't fast at all- and coming over to greet me. He seemed a lot more giddy than the last time I saw him. It was kind of amusing.

"What are you doing here. Are you just coming back from getting those two wolves of the west?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, we retrieved her a couple of weeks ago and brought her back. I'm sorry to say that I'm not coming here for a visit. I need to ask you and your pack a huge favor." From the look in his eye I could tell he already knew what I was talking about.

"This is about war, isn't it?" He sighed.

"I'm afraid it is." I said, sinking my head down. There was a silence for a second.

"What happened?"

I explained to him how Gavin went complete psycho and took over the east. Then how he got the south to ally forces with him and become a super pack. I told him that we had already tried to get the north to ally with ys, but they declined. I made it clear to him that I wouldn't be here asking him this unless I had some other choice.

He nodded his head through the whole thing, and when I stopped he did as well.

"You're asking quite a lot of us." John said.

"I know, I hate to do it but you're our last hope of having a chance to win this war." I explained to him.

He went silent again for a moment before telling me he needed to discuss a few things with the other leaders. I told him I understood and that I'd wait for his answer.

All this time, Johns son sat back and quietly listened to us talk.

"Its a really slim chance that we'll help." He said. I sighed.

"I know, but there's not many other options we have." I told him. He didn't say anything else after that.

"I never got your name." I told him after a while of silence.

"Its David, thanks for asking." He smiled. That kind of caught me off guard, but I just shook it off because John was coming back. And telling by the look on his face, he didn't have good news for me.

"I'm sorry, Garth, but we just can't help you. Even after all this time, our pack still is recovering from the effects of our war. We have our own pack to worry about before we can help anyone else's. I'm sorry."

I was a little annoyed when he said that he needed to take care of his own pack first, since my family ran out pack into the ground helping them, but I said I wast going to be mad about their decision. I just wish it was something else.

"David will take you to an empty den and you can sleep there for the night. Then you can leave tomorrow." He told me. I solemnly nodded my head and follower David out of the den. The whole way to the den I was trying to keep myself from crying. Our packs were doomed. We were going to be overrun and all killed. We would all be slaughtered and there nothing we can do about it. Gavin will win and be the dictator of Jasper along with the southern leader. We've lost and that's it. The only thing we can do is fight until the end.

David dropped me off at then den and said he was sorry about all of this. I ignored him and went into the den. Once I knew he was gone I dropped to the ground and began to sob. My life, and the life of every other western and eastern wolf were going to be over. I cried and cried harder then u ever had before. I did until eventually sleep took me.


	37. Monster

**Humphrey**

Mine and Kate's reunion has definitely been the highlight of the past couple weeks in my life. Ever since I was dropped off at that human place I had been dreaming of the time I would finally be back with the love of my life. And we reunited the best way I could ever think of doing; with a beautiful howl that ended with a kiss. I don't think it could have been anymore perfect than that. Well, there is a way, but Kate and I are a little far from doing that.

Kate and I fell asleep on that hill, again, being the second time. The first being after we both confessed our love for each other, this time it was our reuniting; both being major milestones in out relationship.

Kate and I woke up early that next day to get back to the others. My parents and siblings were all happy to see Kate again; my sibling literally jumped on her and brought her to the ground all while screaming excitedly. It was a very cute sight to see, and Kate seemed to enjoy it. While my family was preoccupying Kate, McCabe came up from behind me and whispered something in my ear. I turned around and looked at him with disgust.

"No, we didn't do anything but howl and kiss, you pervert." I told him, which also caused Abby to smack him on the back of the head once she realized what he asked.

"Behave." She scolded with a low growl.

"What? I'm just a wolf who wants to get some information." He laughed. Abby and I just rolled our eyes. He just always has something to say.

"So Humphrey," Kate said, grabbing back my attention, "who are you friends?"

"Oh, yah. This is McCabe and Abby." I told her, then explain to her how they both ended up in the same place as I did. She nodded her head, but for some reason wouldn't take her eyes off McCabe; which caused him to become a little uncomfortable.

"Is there something on my fur?" He joke as he looked down at his chest. Kate shook her head.

"No, you just kind of look familiar, and your name... I feel as though I've heard it before." She stated.

"Well if you have, I wouldn't know why." McCabe said while tapping his head. "Lost all my memory a couple weeks ago and now I barley know how to survive out here on my own." He chuckled, though I could hear a hint of seriousness and a bit of dismay.

"I'm sorry to hear that, and sorry for staring; I'm being extremely rude." Kate apologized.

"Its no problem, I feel like I get stared at all the time." He said, winking at Abby. She punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"You wish you had the pleasure of me staring at you." She laughed out.

"You know you can't resist me." He smiled, getting closer to her.

"Okay, okay you two; there are pups in here." I told them. They quickly apologized, after giving each other a kiss.

"I'm sorry to say this Humphrey, but we have to get heading back to Jasper," Kate suddenly said.

"I'm guessing this has to do with the war?" I questioned. She looked shocked that I knew that, but when I pointed at my parents she understood how I got the information.

"Garth and I are supposed to meet each other in a clearing near the pack by nightfall, so we can sneak back in." She explained. I growled a little at the mention of Garth. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Oh calm down Mr. Jealous, he's actually not that bad once you get to know him. You two might make great friends" She told me.

"I suppose..." I replied, still a little annoyed. Of course, I guess it really isn't his fault that he was going to marry Kate. That choice was taken from him like it was from Kate, until Kate decided to break pack law to be with me.

"Humphrey, I forgot to tell you something." Kate suddenly said, almost bursting with excitement.

"You know how us becoming mates in Jasper would almost be impossible?" She questioned. Thanks, Kate, for bringing that back into my mind. I had completely failed to remember that when I proposed to Kate. But why was she so happy? Could this mean...

"Well, when I got back to jasper, it turns out my father disbanded the alpha and omega law. We don't have anything holding us back anymore." She exclaimed with glee.

I couldn't belive it, all my hopes and dreams just came true with that one statement. This had officially become the best day of my life. Well, second best behind the first time Kate and I actually admitted our love to one another. That was the best night, but this one came in a close second. Its a bit bizarre to think that this is actually happening, I mean all my life I had been told that I couldn't be with the wolf I loved all because of some stupid law that was made so long ago; only to now learn that all my suffering would be put to rest because I didn't have to worry about that law anymore. Kate and I would never have to hide our feeling from anyone and we wouldn't have to run away just to sustain our love. We were finally free to do what we wanted.

I was jumping and hopping around with ecstasy, not being able to control my excitement. Could you really blame me though? The others giggled and laughed at my reaction, but I could care less. My whole life had finally fallen in to place and everything seemed to be going right in the world for me. I finished my little celebration by giving Kate a big hug and kiss, earning a groan from the pups.

After my excitement passed, Kate turned back to me except she was more serious. "We should get going now, we still need to get to Garth" She repeated. I nodded, knowing what we had to do. But, I had a question on my mind.

I turned to McCabe and Abby, "What about you guys? You still want to come with us?" I questioned. They exchanged glances with each other before shrugging their shoulders.

"Why not, we've got nothing better to do" Abby pointed out and McCabe agreed.

"Sweet" I exclaimed. I then turned back towards my family and went over to them. "I guess this is goodbye again, for now" I said. They nodded and I could see the tears welling up in mom's eyes.

"Please visit soon, I can't be away from you for such a long time again" She told me. I gave her a reassuring smile and told her I'd be back as soon as I possibly could. I went down thr line and gave everyone a hug and telling them all that I love them.

I got done and looked at Kate and gave her a nod, signaling that I was ready to go. She nodded and with a final goodbye to everyone, we set off towards Jasper. I hadn't realized it until just now, but it's been quite awhile since I've been home, I hope not much has changed.

We ran for hours with no breaks; not stopping for anything, in hopes to get to the meeting spot with Garth on time. As we ran, Kate gave me an explanation of all that was going on. The short story being that some wolf named Gavin is an asshole who wants to take over all of Jasper and he's gotten the south to help him do it. So now the West and some eastern wolves are fighting for their life's and Garth was sent to get some help from the Glacier and Banff packs. I think it's safe to say that I've missed quite a bit in my absence from the pack.

It bad gotten dark a little while ago and now all I was doing was following closely behind Kate since I had no idea where u was going. Then behind me were Abby and McCabe, whom I'm glad came along with us.

Kate said that we were getting really close, the we were only about ten minutes away from the meeting spot. It wasn't long before we stumbles into a small clearing with a few logs and some overgrown grass. We looked around for a second, but did not see any signs of Garth. I looked at Kate, expecting her to have an answer of where he was; but she just shrugged and said that she didn't know.

"Well, while you two wait for you friend, we're going to go find some water" McCabe panted out. We nodded and Kate pointed them in a direction where she said she saw a small pond. They thanked her and walked out of sight.

Kate and I sat around each other on a close embrace as we talked about what our future could now hold for us. With the law out of the way we could be free and not have to hide anything or run away just to be together. So we sat there and reminisced about all the things that could be once this whole war thing was over. Hopefully we would be able to come up on top an drive those crazy wolves back as soon as possible. And with this pack I'm guessing we'll be able to do that quite quickly.

Kate and I shot our heads over to where we heard the breaking of branches and the shaking of some bushes. Kate got up just in case it wasn't Garth, and instead someone more hostile. Thankfully, the familiar figure of Garth walked out from the bushes and looked over at us. He looked at me and smiled, but only for a second. Something was definitely wrong, both his body language and face showed that he was stressed out about something. And Kate noticed as well as me.

"What's wrong, Garth?" Kate questioned.

He sighed and looked at the ground in distress. "There not going to help us. We're on our own"

I felt Kates body sag on me when she heard this words. And I wasn't all to pleased about it either. I know enough about the south to know without any help that our pack is screwed.

"I guess we'll just have to figure something else out" Kate murmured. Garth said nothing as he continued to stare at the ground, no doubt thinking about the future of the packs. I couldn't blame him.

"We should get back to the pack. Our father's need to know this as soon as possible in order to come up with some sort of plan" Garth insisted. Kate nodded in agreement.

"Wait, we have to wait for a couple of friends I brought along" I told him. He looked over quizzically at me.

"They were with me when I was with the humans. They decided to come along with me" I explained, go which he nodded. Luckily we didn't have to wait to long; moments later I heard McCabe and Abby walking towards us.

They walked through into the clearing with smiles on their faces while they were pressed up close to each other. I heard a loud gasp come from Garth behind me. I looked to see what it was, but when I looked, he was already gone. I heard a loud snarl and screaming and I snapped my head back over towards where McCabe. What I saw horrified me. Garth was on top of McCabe, snarling and trying to Bute at his neck; as this happened, Abby pleaded for him to get off as she tried to pry him away. I couldn't take the sight of this and sprinted at him and with all the force u could muster up, I tackled him off.

"What the hell is wrong with you, dude" McCabe shouted as he picked himself slowly off the ground. At this point, Garth had thrown me off and brought his focus back over to McCabe.

"Don't play dumb with me you psycho" He barked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Abby screamed.

"I see he's got you all fooled, just like when he fooled Lilly and me. That's what he does, he gains your trust and then when you least expect it, he tears your throat out" He ranted out. He then turned towards Kate. "Done you remember Kate, the fear in your sisters eyes when she told him about HIM" He spat out. All Kate could do was stare at McCabe in disbelief.

"You're a murderer, lunatic, monster and everything in between. And this time I'm going to make sure you stay dead, since I guess that cliff didn't do a good enough job"

At this poibt, everyone was freaking out. McCabe was slowly backing up as Abby stared at him trying to see if she should believe what Garth was saying.

"I thought they were all just terrible dreams; sick, twisted dreams" He murmured out. He looked up at Garth, "I remember you. I was chasing after you and some girl and I got thrown off a cliff and..." He reached back and felt the back of his head. He suddenly became wide eyed and a look of horror spread across his face.

"McCabe?" Abby said taking a step towards him.

"Stay away from me" He shouted and quickly backed away from her. Abby looked really hurt by his words. "He's right. I am a monster" He shouted. "My dreams haven't been dreams, they're memories of me doing terrible, terrible things. That's why I'm so aggressive, and rude, and crude. Because I am a monster that has killed a lot of wolves" He cried out.

We all just stared at him in shock, including Garth. McCabe looked at us all for a couple more seconds as tears rolled down his face, then he just took off. Abby screamed out his name and soon took off after him. I knee it was probably unsmsrt of me to do it, but he was my friend; killer or not.

I turned to Kate and told her to stay here. Then I took off after both of them. Hopefully we could completely figure everything out, and hopefully McCabe still isn't everything he just said he was.

* * *

 **Well, it's been awhile since I last posted, and I am sorry for that. Honestly, I thought I was done with this story; I had just lost all motivation to wrote for it. But, I've invested way to much time into this to give it up. So, here it is. Hope you like it, and again I am sorry for such thr long wait.**

 **Peace Out**


	38. Path to Insanity

**McCabe**

I ran, ran as fast as I possibly could to get away from all of them. I couldn't be around them, not after what I had just found out. How could I have ever forgotten that I had done all of those things; all those terrible, unspeakable things. And now that I've realized that the stuff I was dreaming aren't dreams at all; instead they are flashes of my past finally slamming back into my head. All the dozens of wolves I killed, the gruesome ways I did it; I felt like I needed to throw up. I could just see all of their faces staring up at me, seeing all the life they had drain from their eyes. It all sent a shiver down my spine.

The terrible thing about all of this is that I had done this for a many years, and never can I remember any sort of remorse I felt for any of them. All I can remember is that I killed them and received my reward; then I'd just move on to the next job. I am an awful wolf; I don't even think I could be called a wolf anymore, I am a monster.

I don't know how long I ran for, but I soon began to tire. I decided it be best for me to find some form of shelter and there I would try and remember everything, all the terrible things from my past. Maybe I could find out why I am the way I am. There has to be a reason; you don't just become a psycho murdering mercenary over night, there has to be a reason why. Hopefully I would find that reason.

 **Humphrey**

Holy hell, these wolves can run a lot farther at a much faster pace than I could. McCabe decided to take off to who knows where and Abby decided that she had to go after them; naturally, my omega instincts kicked in and I felt as though both McCabe and Abby would need me in this situation. If what Garth and McCabe say about him is true, then this was going to be a very tense and delicate situation.

I'm just lucky that us wolves have a very good sense of smell; otherwise, I would have lost track of where these two where going a long time ago. The path seemed to be just a random sprint back and forth as McCabe tried to figure out where he was going. He was really freaking out over this; but who could really blame him? How would you feel if you suddenly remembered that you might have killed a whole bunch of wolves. McCabe just dosn't seem like a wolf who would do that. I've been around him for awhile now and he's one if the nicest wolves I know. Its hard to believe he could kill anyone. But if you look at him, he does seem like he could kick some ass.

I don't care about that at the moment, we would figure all of that out later. Right now I just needed to make sure that McCabe and Abby are alright. I don't want anything bad to happen out of this, to either of them. They're my friends, and I make it my personal job to look after my friends.

Fortunately, the chase was finally coming to a close as I approached a den that had both McCabe and Abby's scent leading into it. I stopped just before the entrance and decided to catch my breath before I went in. As I was breathing hard, I could hear a conversation going on between Abby and McCabe. I couldn't make out exactly what the were saying; one could out guess what they were talking about with this new found knowledge of McCabe. I still hoped that it wasn't true and thst it was just some crazy coincidence, but that just didn't seem at all realistic.

I was going to wait awhile longer until I entered, but my mind changed as soon as I started to hear yelling coming from McCabe. But this wasn't his normal yelling; this sounded way more serious and lethal. That's when I decided it was best for me intervene.

"You have no idea what I've done to wolves; the sick and twisted things I've done all for a small reward. I am not a sane wolf, nor am I safe to be around. I could kill you and everyone else without breaking a sweat!" Those were the words I was hearing McCabe yell as I entered the den. I expected, when I got in there, to find McCabe pinning Abby against a wall about to kill her, or something along those lines. Instead, I found quite the opposite.

McCabe was facing a shock ridden Abby; tears rolled down his eyes as he stared deep into his eyes. Just by looking at him you could see that he was filled with all sorts of pain, and not pain that could easily go away.

He continued while I walked over to them, "I don't want to do that! I love you, more than anyone I have ever known. I love Humphrey like a brother; I don't want to hurt either of you, but I don't know if I'll be able to hold myslef back if I return to my normal self"

At this point he was sobbing to himself with no signs of stopping. "I don't know how to explain it, but I can just feel myself changing. My mental state is already feeling different with every memory I gain. At first, I was feeling bad about remembering all the wolves I killed, but now I'm starting to care less and less." He stopped for a second as he chocked on a sob. "How long until I decide I don't love you or Humphrey? How long until I kill both of you? How long until I go back to my old self?" And that seemed to be the breaking point of it. He collapsed to the ground and started balling uncontrollably as he buried his face deep into his paws. His wails of despair was the only thing that filled the den.

I glanced over at Abby and saw her looking down at McCabe with mixed emotions: pitty, remorse, despair, an assortment of other things. I couldn't say that I wasn't feeling all these things for him as well. But the thing that ran through my mind was what could have possibly happened to this wolf to make him do all of these terrible things. There had to be a reason.

I slowly made my way over to him and sat closely beside him; soon Abby did the same thing. The best thing that we could offer McCabe at this time would be comfort. There wasn't really anything else that we could do at this time. The only other thing that we could do is talk to him, but that would come later; McCabe didn't look like he had any intentions of talking any time soon.

Eventually, Abby lied herself down next to McCabe, trying her best to comfort him. At first he tensed up as she pressed her body up against him, but he gave in and used her as someone to cry into. He buried his face into her side and continued to cry.

It was like this for awhile; Abby slightly stroking the back of McCabe's head in order to try and comfort him, while I justried sat to the side and , McCabe finally came to his sences. He had brought his head up but still looked at the ground. He wasn't crying anymore, only the occasional sniffle.

"I-I'm s-sorry you had to see me like that" McCabe apologized.

"You have no reason to be sorry, your just letting out some pent up emotion which is good for you" Abby told him while she continued to stroke his back.

"Thanks for staying with me, you two really are great freinds" He said with slight happiness. We just told him that's what friends are for. There was an awkward silence that fell over us after that. No one knew quite what to say after all of that. But, eventually my curiosity got the better of me, and I started asking questions that were probably best left unasked.

"So, are you sure all that is true; there no way this could all be just one big coincidence?" I questioned. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. I'm starting to gain back a perfect memory of my life. I even remember what Garth was talking about. I was sent by a wolf name Gavin to take out him and Lilly, both of them being children to the pack leaders. After them I was supposed to... I was supposed to kill you and Kate" He explained. A slight shock came over me, but it was short lived. McCabe wouldn't do that to me anymore, at least I don't think he would.

"What exactly are you then, what did you do?" Abby asked. McCabe stiffened at the question, knowing that Abby and I probably wouldn't like it.

"I guess you could classify me as a wolf for hire, a mercenary. I kill wolves for reward. Usually food, or a place to stay, and even sometimes a high ranking position in a pack" He told us. Kind of creepy, but I guess you need to make a living somehow, huh? Nope... there's no way to joke about that and make it alright.

"How did that happen, what could make you do that?" Abby asked, a little frightened. McCabe senced the sudden fear and turned his head from her.

"There's no excuse for what I've done in the past, but I know why it all started" He said. He then closed his eyes tightly as he tried to fight off another emotional breakdown.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to. Its none of our buisness" I told him, but he shook his head.

"No, it's fine. This will actually be good for me. I've never actually told anyone this story. I mean, there is a reason to it" He replied. "It all started when I was still a member of the southern pack of Jasper..."

 **McCabe**

 _Living in the southernpack of Jasper isn't the best life to live, but more so for myself. The pack itself is a little more than just a desolate wasteland of dead trees and grass as rocks shot up from random places all over. There was one water supply, a river that ran through the center of the pack. There is more plants and trees, but those were up farther north, the south stayed where they were at for protection reasons. The whole pack was in the center of a giant circular cliff formation that made it possible for only one way in and one way out._

 _The way of life wasn't all to appealing, especially if you weren't in a high ranking position or related to someone who was. If you weren't, then you were treated poorly and always thought of as last prority. The higher ranking wolves got all the privileges, and no one dared complain in fear of suddenly disappearing in the middle of the night, as many had before when they spoke up against the problems of the pack. Wolves were quick to realize that complaining was a bad idea._

 _My family was part of the lower class. Well, I say family but it's more just me and my brother. My father had left after he heard that my mom was pregnant with me, the second child. I guess he just didn't want the responsibility of having to raise two pups. Then, shortly after my birth, my mother died of unknown causes. Though I'm pretty sure she must have made some high wolves angry with her. So that just left my brother and I._

 _Now you'd think that since it was just the two of us, my brother would protect me and love me because I was all he had left. That's wasn't the case. He despised me and blamed me for dad leaving and mom dying. I don't remember a day when I was with him that he didn't hurt me in some way. He also never allowed me to leave the den. I was barley fed and was lucky to get water every couple of days. But I was a pup and thought this was just how things worked, how was I to know?_

 _I spent a year like this, constantly feeling the pain my brother would inflict on me. The only time I would ever actually feel like his brother was when he'd talk about his day to me, but it was more of a stress release for him. He could'nt care less about me and of he could he probably would kill me. Now that u think back to it, I always wondered why he didn't kill me perhaps he just liked to torture me._

 _Eventually, I did start getting tired of the constant pain. I was growing curious if there was more to life than pain and suffering. I wanted to go out of my den and explore, but felt to scared from thinking what my brother would do to me. Even if my brother was cruel to me, he was the only wolf I knew and I foolishly looked up to him. I tried to be as nice as possible to him and always do as he said. That trust and love for him was broken on a day that still scars me to this day._

 _I remember sitting in the middle of my den, not doing anything like I usually did. My brother was off somewhere; said he was going to go see his girlfriend. That's one of the things he tended to talk to me about, him and his girlfriend. He said that he really loved her and hoped to one day become mates with her. The days when he talked about her where the ones I liked most, since on those days he was in a good mood and didn't beat me. I only wished that his girlfriend wouldn't have been such a whore._

 _He came storming into our den, head low and I could tell that he was flustered about something. I looked at him, my head cocked wondering what could be wrong, so I asked him. Bad idea._

 _"I caught Sylvia cheating on me," He snarled in my direction. I flinched and expected to be sent flying across the room by him; fortunately, no pain came. Instead, when I looked up I saw him with his head down, and tears falling from his muzzle. I'd never seen him like this, and it kind of worried me; like I said, I still looked up to him._

 _That's when I did the worst possible thing I could have done, I asked if I could help in any way. If I knew my brother from now, I would have been able to see what kind of a wolf he was. I mean he kept me, a pup, in solitude for over a year, and then constantly beat me for his own pleasure. My brother was a sociopath. He was about to do the worst thing someone could do that wasn't murder._

 _I could see him thinking for a second, and gradually a smile crept onto his face. He told me that there was one thing that I could do for him. I smiled with glee, glad that I was going to be able to do something in order to make my brother happy. That's all I ever wanted to do when I was little, was to make him happy with me, to try and get him to love me like I loved him; but what he did to me next I could have never expected. He did something no one should ever do to a pup; never do to anyone for, in fact. He walked up close to me with a devilish smile and my instincts told me that something was wrong, that something bad was about to happen. I soon became fearful and sunk down low to the ground, fearing the intentions he had for me._

 _Skip ahead twenty minutes to find me lying on the ground crying. I was curled tightly into a ball shivering and sobbing, trying to forget everything my brother had just done to me, but the memory would forever be seared into my mind. I didn't know much, but I did know that what he did to me was beyond wrong. My body ached in pain and I wanted to die. The abuse and neglect was enough to send anyone over the edge, but I was able to push through it. But this, to be raped by the only wolf I knew, to be betrayed even more by someone who was supposed to love me, to tske care of me; that's where I broke._

 _I ducked in a shaky breath and looked over at him. He was smiling to himself as he slept peacefully, as if he hadn't just done something horrific. Something inside me snapped that day, and it was from there that I knew I would never be the same wolf again. All feeling drained out of me and my face went blank, and I just continued to stare at him. I felt my eye twitch when I heard him sigh with pleasure in his sleep. I remember thinking to myself that he didn't deserve to be happy, or to have any pleasure; the only thing he deserved was punishment._

 _I picked myself up from the cold rock surface of my den floor. Everything seemed to be quiet as I walked over to him. No more tears could be seen in my eyes. My hear rate increased as I stood over him, but not from fear; No, it was from excitement. He looked so peaceful, so relaxed, so... vulnerable._

 _I licked my lips, ready to taste the blood of the wolf who had caused me so much pain and grief. He was going to get what he deserved. But, I couldn't just kill him; that would be all to easy. I needed to make him suffer like I did._

 _I can't explain what I did next, all I can say is that all my pent up emotions were finally released that day. When I was finally done with him, he was nothing more than a bloody pelt. He barely even put up a fight, mostly because I gouged his eyes out and broke all of his legs. After that, I left the my den for the first time. I was discovered by some patrol wolf who caught the scent of blood, which wasn't suprising since I was caked in it from head to tail._

 _He forcefully escorted me to Kane, the leader of the pack, and I was forced to tell what I did. I still remember how much I liked it when they shifted uncomfortably as I told them in great detail what I did to my brother, but I also explained why. A wolf was sent to check and see if I was telling the truth, and when the wolf came back he looked mortified and confirmed my story._

 _Usually, they would have put me down, but because of the circumstances of why I did what I did, they decided to give me a little bit of mercy, which was very uncommon, and just banish me from the pack. I had no problem with that and left willingly._

 _Unfortunately, life wasn't all that great outside of a pack. At least my brother brought me food and water every now and then. Now, I just wondered around aimlessly whike slowly starving to death. I would have died if it hadn't been for a bird, the raven._

 _I honestly forget how we met, I just remember him just sort of being there one day. He told me that if I let him stick around that we'd have a benifitial relationship; he'd find the food, I would kill the food, then we would share the food. It sounded like a good idea, other then I didn't know how to hunt. Lucky for me, he said that he knew. Told me he'd been around enough wolves to see how they hunted. So he taught me how to hunt and we were partners ever since._

 _Then there was my first 'job' that I got. There was a wolf pacing_ _angrily back and forth in the middle of the field when I came up to him. I asked what his problem was. He_ told _me that there was some other asshole lone wolf who just came along into his territory and started hunting his food. Unfortunately for him,_ the _new wolf was much bigger and stronger than he was._

 _As I listened to him, an urge that had been bothering me for some time came up again. Ever since I first killed my brother, I had a thirst for killing. I tried all sorts of animals ranging from squirrels to moose, but none of them seemed to suffice my bloodlust. Maybe, I thought, killing another wolf would calm the flame. So I made a deal with him: I take care of the wolf and he feeds me for a couple of days. He agreed._

 _That night I snuck into the wolves den. I was hoping he would have been asleep so I could do it quickly; just get in and out. That's not how it went down, though. Right as I entered the den he looked me dead in the eye. He asked me what I was doing in his den, and he did it quite rudely. I just plainly told him that I was there to kill him. It wasn't a suprise that he laughed at that, since I was a lot smaller than him. But I had one thing he didn't, a crave for blood. Needless to say, I killed him. I didn't get out unscathed; he dealt me a numerous amount of painful blows, causing me some of my first scars. But, the wolf was killed and my needs satisfied._

 **Humphrey**

"And that concludes my journey to insanity and killing," McCabe tried to joke, but it was obvious that he was struggling to keep from having another breakdown, and I couldn't blame him.

I knew that the world could be dark, but to hear McCabe's story, to hear of the horrible things that happened to him when he was only a pup; it made me realize just how cruel and unusual this world could be. I, myself, was sickened from the things McCabe'sbrother did to him. I even realized that he never actually said his name; which wither means he forgot it, or he holds such a hate for him that he just never wants to hear it spoken ever again.

I cast a couple of glances over at Abby occasionally through the story, and she was just a complete wreck. The girl loves this wolf, and for her to hear all those terrible things happen to him, I couldn't imagine what's going through her head.

"I know none of this excuses me from what I've done, nothing ever can. So I understand if you want to leave," He said to us as he turned away and faced to back wall of the den with his head hung low. He has done some unspeakable things, if he says hid dreams are things he's actually done. He's told me most of them and I've had nightmares just from hearing them. But could I just leave him? I mean, he's turned into one of my best friends; I can't just abandoned him. Especially not now, because if we do leave then he might turn back into his old self.

I looked over at Abby when I saw her get up and go towards McCabe. She next to him and leaned against his side. "I don't care what you've done, McCabe," she told him. "You aren't what you were anymore. Losing your memory was like a second chance, and I'm going to stick by your side and make sure you don't ruin it again."

McCabe said nothing for the longest time, just sat there as he stared aimlessly at the ground. His final responce was just a simple "thank you." It may not sound like much, but coming from a broken wolf it's everything.

"You should get back to Kate, Humphrey," I hear McCabe tell me. "I have a feeling your packs won't take to kindly to me being there."

I wanted to argue with him, to tell him that we could make it work, but I saw where he was coming from and knew he was right. He'd be killed on sight. I wished the both of them luck for the future and made my way back to Kate and Garth.

When I got back, both of them looked at me expectingly. I just shrugged and told them that McCabe wouldn't be a problem anymore. Garth didn't seem to like it, but I pushed his comments of 'hunting him down and killing him' aside and went over to Kate.

"What happened?" She asked as I sat next to her. I thought back to the story that I had just heard and only one thing would come to my mind.

"The world is a fucked up place."

* * *

 **Well, that got a little dark... just how I like it! Now you all know the dark and twisted past of McCabe, kind of messed up. Hope you liked it!**

 **I have so many directions this story can take, so I'm sorry in advanced if this next chapter takes awhile to get done.**

 **Thanks for reasons and please leave a review.**

 **Keep on Keeping on**

 **Peace Out**


	39. What a terrible world

**Kate**

The walk back so far has been deafening quiet. We have been walking back for about a hour and a half now, and there has been very little conversation; this usually included either someone asking for a rest or someone needing to go to the bathroom. Not only that, but the air was thick with contention. Mostly since Garth is still pissed about McCabe walking away free from all of this. I see where he's coming from, I mean the wolf did try to kill him and Lilly, so it's understandable that he would want some form of revenge. But Humphrey seemed convinced McCabe was a changed wolf and he wouldn't harm anyone anymore.

"Does that excuse the fact that he's killed dozens of wolves. What about them and their families, where's their justice," I remember Garth snarling at Humphrey back in that clearing. Humphrey didn't seem to have an answer for that, unfortunately for him. Garth was about to start yelling at him again, but u stopped him and said that we should get going.

Now, here we are a couple hours later walking through the late evening with the sun about to set, in complete silence. Garth was walking ahead, obviously still angry, while Humphrey lagged behind a bit looking like he was thinking really hard about something. Ever since he came back from talking with McCabe, he just seems different; his mood is obviously glum, but it's something else that seems changed. The thing he told me about the world being a fucked up place; whatever the conversation between them was, it really got to him. I just hope he doesn't stay like this. For one, it's just not healthy; also I don't know how I'd feel about him being so down all the time.

Fortunately we would be home very soon, a half hour at most. Maybe getting back and seeing familiar surroundings would cheer him up; and I bet seeing his friends would put a smile on his face, I hope. It just isn't like him to be this way, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

Time seemed to pass by slowly as we continued on, but eventually we got to the western border. I sighed in relief as we passed over into our territory; finally we were home. I let out a large yawn and realized that I hadn't got much sleep over these past couple of days, and I've also done a lot of traveling; so I am really tired and am looking forward to a well deserved rest.

As we continued on through the pack something just didn't seem right to me. Usually as we got this far in we'd start seeing some signs of wolves, anything. Maybe dad called a pack meeting, they aren't that uncommon; especially now with the war and everything. It could just be a simple explanation of where we are at with the war, or something else along this lines. The pack always likes to stay informed with these kinds of things. Of course, all these speculations went down the drain as a certain stench came flooding into my nose.

I looked at Garth and Humphrey who both seemed to smell the same thing, neither of them looking excited about it. Of course, who would feel excited when a strong smell of blood is coming from the center of your pack.

"You don't think..." Garth began but couldn't bring himself to say it. I took a hard swallow and shrugged my shoulders nervously.

"I have no idea, but there's only one way to find out." I said as I took a deep breath and continued on, being followed shortly by the other two. My mind was being plagued by what I was about to see, because this was a lot of blood that I could smell, and that's never a good sign.

Slowly, I walked through the tree line into the center of the pack, and what I saw brought horror to me. I looked over the pack and all around I saw torn body's of wolves, and they weren't even alphas. Men, woman and... pups, laid dead. I could see others, survivors, trying to clean up the mass of bodies as best they could. It was a heart aching sight.

"He was right..." I heard Humphrey say softly. I looked back at him and saw him staring blankly down at the pack with dead, emotionless eyes.

"I can't believe anyone would do this; this isn't war anymore, this is a massacre," Garth said. I couldn't help but silently agree with him. When you go into someone's pack and slaughter the omegas and the pups, you are no longer fighting a war; your looking destroy a whole pack. "Gavin will pay for this," He growled.

I scanned the scene to try and find anyone I could recognize, and luckily my eyes fell upon Hutch. I gave a small sigh of relief for him still being alive. Now all I could hope for is that everyone in my family made it. Just the thought of any of them being harmed in any way sent a shiver throughout my body. I needed to know that they were okay, and I needed to know soon or I might have a panic attack.

I ran quickly down towards Hutch, hoping that out of all this chaos he'd have some sort of good news for me. I was almost to him when he looked up and saw me. The look on his face could only be explained as relief once he saw me, probably happy to see a familiar face still alive. Ever since he lost Candu, he never was the same and seemed to be a little clingy; but I guess I couldn't blame him.

"Kate, it is so good to see you," He said with relief, yet it seemed almost dead. I guess that's what war does to a wolf, it scars you and drives you to the point of insanity, and in the end it leaves you dead on the inside.

"Wh-What happened here?" I asked. He sighed deeply and looked away from me towards the ground. All emotion seemed to disappear from him as he shook his head with grief.

"They came out if nowhere and started attacking any wolf that they saw. Alphas, omegas, males, females, pups... It was a massacre that we weren't prepared for. And we were taken so much by surprise that we didn't have time to evacuate anyone. We lost almost everyone. The war is over, there is no one else left to fight, they won," Hutch was defeated and I knew that no amount of trying to cheer him up would ever bring back the Hutch I knew. That Hutch was gone with only a husk of a wolf left from the brutality of war. I didn't want to bother him anymore, I wanted to give him some space; but I needed to know one thing.

"Is my family ok?" I asked, desperate for an answer. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, which caused me to shrink a little.

"Lilly is fine. Your father is a little beat up, but your mom... she didn't make it," I froze up and looked distantly at Hutch, trying to take in what he just told me. My mom was dead, gone? That didn't sound right, how could she die? She was the strongest wolf in this pack and she was gone. I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it. Buy I knew Hutch wouldn't lie to me about something like this, which only meant one thing.

I felt my body start to shake and I felt myself become weak. I've never felt like this, not since the beginning of alpha school. I feel so helpless and scared. Not just for me, but for everyone I love. First it's my mom, but how long until they get dad, then Lilly and then Humphrey? How long until I lose everything that I have ever loved because of power hungry wolves hell bent on taking over Jasper. My while mind was just a jumble of emotions and I could feel myself about to break down.

I felt a paw land on my shoulder and I turned to see Humphrey with a sympathetic gaze. "I'm so sorry, Kate. I wish that there was something that we could have done." I nodded my head distantly. It didn't make me feel any better, but I'm happy that he at least tries to make things better.

"Your father and sister are in the alpha den if you want to see them, I bet they want to see you right now," Hutch said to me, still not a hint of emotion left in his voice. I nodded and thanked him, then immediately took off towards where my family was. I needed to see them now, needed their comfort.

I walked into the den and saw Lilly looking down and talking with dad, who didn't look too good. He was covered in blood, had long scratches all across his body and looked to have a broken nose, bit the worst thing to look at was the defeat that lingered in his eyes. The look of a wolf who had just lost everything: his pack, his friends and his mate.

He looked up once he heard me and put on a weary smile. The only thing he had left was Lilly and I now.

"Kate, I'm so glad that you're alright..." He stopped for a second and looked behind me and let out a small chuckle. "Should have known that's why you wanted to go. It's good to see you alive and well, Humphrey." I turned to see Humphrey dip his head in respect and replied with a 'thank you, sir'.

Lilly immediately ran over to me and buried her head into my side, sobbing violently into my fur. Poor girl has been through so much, more than most omegas go through in a life time. Almost being killed, having most of your friends killed, and losing our mother must have taken a toll on her. I wouldn't be surprised if this left a permanent scar with her forever. Funny thing is, the same thing has happened to me, yet I feel barley affected. Maybe it's because I'm an alpha, or maybe it's because I just need to be strong for everyone else.

When she was done with me, she went over to Garth and had him comfort her, snuggling deep into his body. I could see Humphrey out of the corner of my eye, looking even more dead than when we were walking here. He's just been through so much and it was taking its till on him. Would that be my fare soon, was I just burying everything deep inside and any day now I would just explode into a volcano of emotion. It honestly wouldn't surprise me.

"Kate," I heard dad call out to me weakly. I turned and walked over to him. He looked even worse than when I came in here only minutes ago. It was obvious that he wasn't going to live for much longer; his life was about to expire, and I could feel myself ripping apart from the inside.

"I'm here dad, what do you need?" I asked softly with urgency.

"I've already said my goodbyes with your sister, because we all know I am not going to make it through the next hour. I just want you to know that I love you so much and I'm proud of who you are and what you have become. You are an incredible, brave, strong young alpha that I know will live on," He paused as a violent fit of coughing came over him for a couple of moments, then he continued.

"Kate, I want you to take the remainder of the pack and get them to safety. Take them anywhere that's away from here; preserve our pack, continue the family legacy. And finally, take care of your family. Lilly, Humphrey, Garth, never forger them and always gave them close to your heart. As for me, I just hope I can be remembered as a good father," I could see him getting weaker and weaker with each passing second and I knew that this was it. Tears streamed down my face as I saw him take his final breath, and his eyes closed forever. From behind me I heard Lilly start to cry even harder than she was before. And that's when it finally hit me: not only had I lost most of my friends, but I've also lost both of my parents all in the same day. One wolf can only take so much, and I finally broke my limit.

My slow stream of tears took a drastic turn as I wailed in sorrow and fell to the ground. It was too much, it was all too much. What has anybody in this pack done to deserve such a punishment? Why are we forced to suffer through all of these terrible trials. I don't think I could be able to take much more of this.

I felt Humphrey come up from behind me and place a paw on me, slowly rubbing my back in order to try and ease my sorrow. But it would take a lot more than that to break me from this state. It was as I was laying here that the words of Humphrey came flooding back into my head, and at that moment I couldn't help but fully agree with him. The world is indeed a fucked up place.


	40. Planning

**Humphrey**

Yesterday turned out to be probably the worst day ever in all the history of my life. Worse than when I was taken from my family, worse than the time I broke my leg, worse than when I was separated from Kate, it was all together just a shitty day. I learned yesterday just how shitty the world actually is. First being the story that McCabe told me about his life, to coming home and finding just about everyone I know dead; slaughtered by cruel wolves who were hell bent on power.

After Kates breakdown last night when she learned her mother died and her father died shortly after, she fell into a deep sleep exhaustion finally taking over her body and forcing her to get some sleep. I took that time to try and see if any of my friends had survived. It's been a couple of months since I last saw them and I could only pray that I wasn't my last. That night I did get some good news and bad news: good news was that Salty did end up surviving, bad news is that everyone else that I could call friend had been killed in the raid.

I still remember Salty's eyes light up when he saw me. Tears of joy and relief streamed down his face as he ran over to me and brought me into a tight embrace. It felt good to see him again and I couldn't help but shed a few tears myself as I hugged back.

I decided that after that it would be best if I went back to Kate and got some rest. I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be hectic. As I walked back to the Alphas den, I couldn't help but notice just how deserted the place was. From my exploring of the pack in trying to find my friends I had only come across around eight or nine wolves, five of them being pups. Something told me that there weren't many more than them.

When I got back, a wave of relief hit me as I saw Kates uncle and there family sitting in the den. At least more of Kates family survived, she'd be happier when she woke up to find them alive and well.

Now the next day, as I predicted, became hectic with wolves shouting and screaming about what was going to be done. During this while time with their arguments, I sat a little ways away from it with Kates family and Salty along with the pups that were left, knowing that it wasn't our place to step in. This was up to the Alphas to make the decision even if it was getting nowhere and didn't look like any decision would be made for awhile.

As they argued I took that time to count the remaining wolves and came up with a whopping 17 wolves, not counting Cecil and his family, and seven of them are pups. I determined that 12 were from the west and only five were from the east, two of them being Garth and Tony. Out of around 55 wolves, only 17 were able to make it alive. 38 of our own, slaughtered. It made me sick to think about. But I couldn't even imagine what the wolves who were here felt like. They had to live through it, see their loved ones torn apart and killed by a ruthless pack who wanted nothing more than to eradicate all of us. It was really an eye opener to seeing how far other will go for something like power. It was plain out despicable.

"We are getting nowhere with all this shouting," I was brought away from my thoughts as I heard Kate yell with strain. "I know that things are as bad as they can get, but we can't lose our heads right now. We're all that's left of this pack and we need to think of a way to preserve it; arguing won't help solve anything." Each wolf looked around at each other then nodded their heads, agreeing with Kate that they all needed to calm down a little.

Still, the only problem that remained was what we were actually going to do about this. Its likely that Gavin and whoever the southern pack leader is will send a clean up crew to take out the rest of us. They've already killed over half our pack, it was unlikely they'd just leave the rest of us alive. Especially since we still have a pack leader and three offspring of leaders.

Everyone seemed to calm down and started talking at a normal volume, but still no one could come up with anything that could help out the pack. Some said that the remaining alphas should stay and fight while the omegas and pups ran off, others said that everyone should go. The only thing no one could actually come up with is where to go. I mean where can you relocated a pack...

"I may have an idea," I spoke out, but it seems the only ones that heard me where Cecil and his family, and they looked at me with curiosity. "I have an idea," I said louder, gaining the attention of everyone else this time. Though, when some saw who was speaking their faces lit up with amusement.

"And that would be... what exactly?" Tony asked. I looked back at Cecil and gave him kind if a silent apology for not making sure this was okay with him before telling everyone.

"I know of a place where we can go that would probably take two or three days to get to with a group this large. It's where Kate and myself were relocated not to long ago. It's a perfect place, plenty of food and water." Everyone turned their heads to Kate, wanting to get some confirmation about this place. Kate seemed to think about it for a moment before slowly starting to nod her head.

"It really us a perfect place. The only other I know who live there are them," she said pointing over at Cecil, "but we can take our pack far enough away so we don't bother them. Honestly it's the best thing I've heard all day," she stated with a smiled aimed at me. I gave her a small wink.

"I hope that's alright with you," I said, turning to look Cecil in the face. I didn't want to say all of this and have him deny us, not that I think he ever would.

"Of course, I'll do anything I can to help you out. Your basically family Humphrey, and Kate and Lilly are family, I'll do anything to keep you all safe and happy."

"So, when do..." some wolf I didn't know started to say, but was cut off when a body came sailing out from behind some bushes. Everyone stared in shock between the body and the bush moving their heads back and forth between each of them. It was obviously an enemy wolf which was terrifying enough, but what was even more terrifying is not knowing who or what just caused this wolf to come sailing over to us. A moment of rustling bushes then another wolf walking out answered the question of who.

"McCabe?" I questioned in shock and concern. What the hell was he doing here? He knows what will happen to him if anyone here knows who he is, and I already know that Garth and Lilly have become acquainted with him; Garth on multiple occasions. It was just a bad idea for him to come here, that's the reason he stayed behind. Then soon after he came out, Abby followed.

"Sorry about the shock, but I had to get this guy by surprise, " He said with his old chipper tone, not like the one he was speaking with yesterday where he sounded depressed. Did this mean he was fine now, or is he just playing it off and shoving those memories into the back of his mind? I guess it didn't matter at the moment, because it actually felt good to see him happy after what he told me yesterday. Yet, it was still pretty stupid of him coming here, and judging by the annoyed look on her face, Abby thought so too.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Garth snarled as he stepped protectively in front of Lilly who had frozen at the sight of the black wolf. Now looking at everyone, I could see the fear in all their eyes as they trembled at the sight of him. Even Garth was still visibly terrified of him. They still thought that he was working for Gavin, except Garth, and had no idea what had happened to him over the past couple of weeks. Others may not see it, or choose to believe it, but I know he's changed into a very kind hearted wolf. A wolf he could have been had it not been for certain circumstances that molded him into what everyone know him as: a cold blooded killer.

"Well I was just going to stop by when I found this wolf spying on all of you, my guess to report back the survivors of your pack." I was going to ask him how he knew about the attack, but stopped since the stench of death was pretty overwhelming still.

"McCabe, we talked about this. You shouldn't have come," I seethed out, already knowing the verbal attack I was about to receive from my pack mates.

In response to me, McCabe just gave a casual shrug like he didn't see the problem with him being here. The only one who wasn't tense about any of this was him. Yesterday he was freaking out about who he was; what the hell happened to him in that short period of time? What could have turned his whole attitude around that quickly. I couldn't even begin guessing, but my thoughts landed on that it had something to do with Abby. I honestly couldn't think of anything else.

"You know this psychopath?" Tony questioned in disbelief. I flinched a little from the venom that came from his voice. It's obvious he wasn't to pleased that I had associated myself with him.

"I actually prefer the term partially insane," McCabe quipped with a small smirk. Abby and myself stared at him threateningly, he wasn't helping. When he saw the stares, he sat and raised his paws defensively.

"Yah, I know him. We were kept in a human facility together for a couple of weeks. But he's not like he used to..." I was cut short by a sudden growl that pierced the air.

"Oh don't start with that shit again. I've seen what this wolf does. He gains your trust and then tries to kill you. Lilly and I witnessed that first paw." Garth was just straight up pissed. His death glare passed over from me to McCabe then back to me and so on. But could I honestly blame him. I'd be acting the same way if I had been put in his position. If he had tried to hurt Kate I would have killed him myself... or at least tried and then died heroically.

"He has quite the nerve showing up here, thinking he can just walk in and think he wouldn't be met with a fight," Garth growled, getting himself all worked up.

"He's right, he has no right walking into our pack after all he's done," Another joined in, then followed by another. One by one everyone started agreeing and all wanting the blood of this wolf. I looked fearfully at my pack then over at McCabe. I figured he'd be scared or something, instead he just looked kind of boated. He cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"As fun as getting torn apart sounds, I've taken on more wolves who were far more skilled then all of you. You wouldn't be a problem," He yawned out. "But we should talk why I'm here. I know what I've done in the past makes you all skeptical of my intentions, but I assure you that I come here for a way to try and start to make a better name for myself." All eyes were fixed on the one wolf judging every word he said while they all glared at him.

"What could you possibly do to ever make us trust you?" Tony scolded. If you hadn't guessed yet, McCabe is not very well liked by anyone except maybe Abby and me. I looked wonderingly at McCabe, thinking of what it could be that would gain a little bit of everyone's trust.

"For starters, I could kill the southern leader. I hear your having a problem with them, and killing a powerful leader might weaken them just a bit. After that I could probably easily eliminate Gavin as well. Never really liked the cocky prick anyway."

No one knew what to say. They were all in shock at the generosity that was being offered to them by someone they saw as untrustworthy. No one could have predicted that this wolf would suddenly come seeking some kind of retribution for the things he did. Not even I thought he'd do something like this.

I noticed an intense hushed conversation going on between everyone. Every now and then one would cast a glance back at McCabe who sat patiently with Abby cuddling into his side. Such a cute couple.

"We've come to a decision," Tony spoke up. "We will leave and go to the place that Humphrey spoke of, and you can take care of our problem. If you succeed then come and get us. If not, then we'll stay there."

"A solid plan that I can get behind. But I can't guarantee that just because they die that another wolf won't just step in. I may not live in a pack but I know very well how they work. There will always be someone to take the place as leader," McCabe made sure to make this clear. Tony assured him he was well aware of that. He just wanted both of them dead for taking his pack, killing his friends and messing with his family. Then, after Tony's little rant, McCabe said that it would be done.

"But you might want to get going very soon. I highly doubt that he was the only one sent to see how many survivors were left. I wouldn't be surprised if a squad came to clean up the rest of you within the hour," He speculated. "And after I take them out, I'll make sure that Kane and Gavin suffer."

"Then it's settled," Tony stated turning to everyone, "let's get going, the sooner we leave the sooner we can eat and find shelter." There were mumbles around the crowd as they started heading into the forest to begin their journey. Cecil took point with Tony, him being the one who would know the quickest route back to his home. Kate cane over to me and gestured that we should get going. I nodded and was about to start walking, but hesitated.

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up," I told her. She have me a curious glance, wondering why I would need to stay behind. I gestured over towards McCabe and she seemed to get the point.

"Just be careful and fast. I don't need you getting into anymore trouble," she said with a half hearted laugh. I smiled reassuringly and told her I'd be fine. I gave her a small kiss on the cheek and told her to go catch up to the others and I'd be with them soon.

After she left I went over towards McCabe, who was sitting with a smirk on his face as I walked over, and Abby who wasn't looking to pleased with other said wolf. I wouldn't be to please with him either if I were her. He's basically just volunteered to go kill not one, but two very high valued wolves. For anyone it would be a suicide mission; I mean going into the heart of two very heavily guarded packs is no easy task. I'm guessing it'll probably be easier to kill Gavin due to the fact the east isn't as strong as the south. But to get to Kane would be a whole other task. From the stories I've heard about the south, and from what I've witnessed him do to my pack, it seems like it would be an impossible task.

Yet it seems that McCabe is confident in himself to get this job done. I mean, I've also heard stories of things that he has done in his days, and let me tell you they are not stories to tell pups at bedtime. Of course most stories are usually pretty over exaggerated anyways.

I guess McCabe must have known what I was thinking before I even began to voice my concerns to my friend. "You don't have anything to worry about, Humphrey. Yes it's dangerous, but I've done this sort of thing dozens of times. Killing pack leaders is like half of my job description," He boasted. I honestly didn't know how to feel about that comment, so I chose to trust in him and move the conversation on.

I only really had one question for him anyway, and I needed to make it fast before I lose the pack or southerners come while I'm still here. "So what's with this new found joy? Yesterday you were moping around and today your as jolly as ever. What happened?" I questioned. McCabe's smile fell, but only a little. It was one that showed gratitude. Before he spoke he motioned his head over towards Abby.

"You have her to thank for that."

"Well, I guess I could have guessed that," I chuckled. They did too, then McCabe spoke again.

"She made me realize that, yes, I don't have a very clean past but I was given a second chance and I can use my skills to help others that are good instead of working for very evil wolves."

"That's good to hear and I'm glad your on our side now. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those claws," I chuckled, though it was very much true. We all sat there for a second not saying anything and falling into an awkward silence that was broken when I decided that I better take my leave. "I wish you the best of luck and hope you make it back to us in one piece," I said to him.

"And I hope you get to wherever your going safely. It would suck to come back and not have you."

We finished up with our talking and said our final goodbyes and I started walking to catch up with the others. As u was about to walk out of sight from the pack, I turned back to look at it one more time. I had just barley gotten back and now I was being forced to leave once again. In a way, it's probably a good thing. I don't know how long I'd actually be able to stay there if there wasn't a threat of everyone else dying. Just walking around and knowing that wherever I went, someone most likely died there. It was a thought that sent chills up my spine.

All my memories come from this pack, well mostly. Such good times were spent here, so many friends, and of course the best part of all was meeting Kate. It seems like only yesterday that Kate and I were pups walking along a trail just talking with each other. The times I spent with Salty and Shaky and Mooch zipped through my mind. So many emotions were tied to this place, and I couldn't help but let a few tears drop. I just hoped that maybe one day we'd be able to return here. But as of now, we're all refugees, on the hunt for a home.

I gave a small smile as I turned away from the pack. As long as I was with Kate, I'd be content with anything. Be it Sawtooth or anywhere else, because whenever she is, that's home for me.


	41. Fall of an Empire part 1: The East

**McCabe**

I sat and stared with a small smirk on my face as I watched Humphrey walk up and over the hill out of sight. I knew that he and what remains of his pack would be fine. I could tell that they were all strong and they'd help each other out. When tragedies like this happen, it tends to bring others together, even if they hated each other not very long ago. Yah, they were going to be just fine.

"You know, I really don't like this plan of yours," Abby sighed from behind me. I turned to her and gave a reassuring smile. We may have not met very long ago, but I knew that we were going to be together forever. I mean, we do already fight like a married couple. But in all honesty, I don't think there could be anyone more perfect for me then her. Especially now since she knows of my terrible past, knows the things I've done, yet she still sees that I've changed for the better.

I gently rubbed the side of her head and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "You have nothing to worry about. I've done this a many times and I have always come out unscathed, mostly. And then after this, I'm done. No more jobs, no more bringing down packs, no more killing. After this, it's just going to be me and you." She smiled in delight and kissed me back.

"That would be lovely."

It was then that my ears caught the sound of wings flapping. I turned my head towards the sound and saw my best friend flying in from a little scouting mission I sent him on. Ricky swooped down and landed in between Abby and myself.

"The eastern and southern wolves will be here in about three minutes. So it'd probably be wise for you, ma'am, to not be here right now if the plan is to work," Ricky advised. Abby nodded her head and gave a small sigh.

"Just promise me you'll come back, please."

I gave her a reassuring smile a small kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be home hopefully sometime tomorrow if all goes as planned. If not then no more than three days. But I will come back to you, you can count on that," I assured her. "Now get going, I can hear the others coming." She nodded, and with a final kiss took off to where I'd meet her when this was all over which was that cave where I had my mental breakdown yesterday.

I watched as Abby ran off and as soon as she was out of sight I heard the wolves I was waiting for arrive. I heard a few gasps as they realized who I was. I gave a small smirk and turned to them. "Hello boys, long time no see."

"McCabe, you're alive?" A wolf asked. It was one of Gavin's higher ranking wolves, I recognized him from my time in the east. "When you didn't come back, Gavin suspected you to be dead."

"Well obviously he suspected wrong, Greg," I chuckled. "Just got caught up with some humans, you know how they are," I explained. There were a few murmurs of agreement. I wanted to roll my eyes, why are all wolves so gullible. These wolves are the reason why others like Gavin get into power. They tell them whatever they want to hear and next thing you know you have a revaluation. I've seen it too many times and gave been on both sides of it.

"So where are the rest of the wolves?" One asked. I shrugged. "Beats me, I was on my way here to complete my mission once I was free from the humans and they were all gone," I explained. Greg looked around for a moment and gave off an amused huff.

"That was easier then expected. Now that their gone we can move some of our forces here and set up an outpost. The next step is taking out the North," He smiled greedily. I had a smile on for a whole other reason, their whole chain of command was about to come crashing down on them, and they aren't even going to see it coming.

"Great, now we should probably get back to Gavin and report, you know how impatient he can be," I pointed out. Everyone agreed. This was going to be just too easy. With Ricky perched on my back, we headed towards the east. I'd get there, kill Gavin and maybe a few other high ranking wolves, then get out of there. It was going to be so simple that a puppy would be able to do it. After I was done with the east, now that's where things would get a bit more complicated.

The south is heavily guarded with only one way in and one way out. Along with the entrance being nearly impossible to sneak by, Kane himself had multiple bodyguards around him at all times. That wolf was worn with age and needed the protection. The good thing is that once I do get to him it's going to be really easy killing him. I smiled as I thought about how I was going to kill him, so many choices.

But right now, theses fools were just leading me to Gavin. Soon he'd just be a bloody corpse beneath my paws. He was definitely going to get what was coming to him. Turning against his own pack and manipulating others to do his bidding. Not only is he an asshole, but he's also a coward. I could almost already hear him pleading for his life, begging for me to spare him. The thing is, that wasn't going to happen. I needed to cut the heads off the snakes while giving others no sort of hope.

It didn't take long before we made it to the East. A few glances were directed my way, along with an occasional stare. My lacking presence here and then suddenly showing up looks like it's caught a couple of wolves off guard. I know that there are a lot of individuals here that would rather not have me here meddling with their war. They all know my history and I can't blame them for not trusting me. But Gavin was in charge and he insisted I help him. Unfortunately for him, that was going to be his downfall.

Greg, myself, and another southern wolf broke off from the group and headed up Gavin's den. It was then I sent Ricky off to do another little mission for me. Greg exclaimed how ecstatic Gavin would be to know to was still alive. Said it would be that much easier to take down the North. All I did was smile and nod. I kind of liked Greg, a nice and strong wolf that definitely had a future. Unfortunately, I couldn't let him live; but I'd make his death quick and painless. As for the southern wolf, I don't know him personally but he's from the south and he will get what's coming to him. Gavin was just going to be fun.

"Gavin, I've brought with me some good news," Greg said as we entered the den.

"And what would that be?" A tired voice questioned. I saw movement from the back of the den and soon a wolf walked into the light. I was a bit surprised when I first saw him; tired eyes, messy fur, I could basically see his stench. He was not looking very good. Which would make it all that more easy to kill him. I wasn't going to take pity on a wolf like this. Karma is a bitch.

A light chuckle could be heard as Gavin walked over to us with a smile. "McCabe! You've come back. I thought I lost you for good."

"Nah, it's not that easy to get rid of me. Just had some trouble with humans. I may be a ruthless killer but even I have my limitations with humans," I told him with a shrug. It honestly wasn't a full lie, I just left out the part where I came back to kill him. It was an honest mistake.

"Well I'm glad you are here now. You'll make a great asset for part two of taking over Jasper. Now that the west has been completely eradicated we can move northward and start picking them off. It will take awhile- the North is far more powerful than the west, but I'm pretty certain that in about a year's time all of Jasper will be under our control." He finished with a crazy look in his eye, imagining a future that he would never see; because it wasn't going to happen, and he would be dead. He turned towards me looking hopeful. "And I was wondering if you'd be interested in being a leader for our new empire. A pack this big will be hard to control with two wolves, we'll need a couple more and I know you a perfect candidate," he smiled evilly.

I pretended to look shocked about his offer. It's not like I didn't think he was going to ask that, plenty of others have before him. Even back then I would have turned down the offer. I had only a couple of reasons why I was a mercenary, and power wasn't any of them. It was for food, shelter, and my ever growing thirst for death. Killing was my drug that I couldn't get over, until recently. Power was not something I ever needed nor wanted, especially now. I was here for my friends and my friends only. This maniac killed everyone they knew and took away there only home, so now I was going to give him a little taste of his own medicine.

After he finished his little rant, I just couldn't hold my shocked face anymore. A smile soon crept it's way to my lips and a small chuckle followed. It was his turn to look shocked. "That would be a great offer, if I was interested." Now it was his turn to look shocked.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime, you know. It would be foolish of you to turn this down," he tried to persuade me. My laugh only returned and soon turned into a cackle.

"You know, you wolves will do anything if it means gaining any sort of power," I paused and looked at the quizzical expressions on their faces. They had no idea what was about to happen. "That's why this needs to be done."

Swiftly I brought my right paw up and across my body and slammed it into the southern wolves face with great force, sending him flying across the den and into a wall. I faced a wide eyed Greg who could only stare in unbelief. I flashed him a grin before bringing my left paw slamming down on the top of his head, causing him to crash to the ground. Both were knocked out now, but it was only a matter of time. All that happened in a matter of seconds which still left me a quivering Gavin backing up to a wall.

"You can't do this," he tried to you, but all that came out was a raspy croak. Fear enveloped in his eyes as he stared into the eyes of his killer, me. A familiar blood luster returned to me as I backed this quivering coward into a corner. A irresistible urge came over me to tear into his throat and thrash his body around, wanting to coat the walls with his blood. But I kept my cool, for now.

"I can do whatever the hell I want," I growled. That was one thing that annoyed me as a mercenary. All these wolves thought that just because they lead a pack and they hire me that they owned me. Were in truth, I had them at my mercy every moment I spent with them. My mercy for Gavin has ran out.

"Why. Why turn your back on this, a greater future for us all." He shouted. I gave him a devilish grin.

"Because I've changed." I told him.

His face became neutral and he just stared at me. His body stopped shaking and his ears flattened. He was realizing that there was no way he was going to get me to change my mind about this. There was nothing he was going to say that would ever get me to let him leave this den alive. He saw that he already had one paw in the grave and was about to be put completely under.

"I see. It's a shame really, I figured we could have worked together. But since you've changed I guess this makes us... ENEMIES," he barked as he threw a cloud of sand and dust into my eyes. I reeled back and growled in annoyance, bringing my leg up to my eyes and trying to rub all the crappie out of it. I heard Gavin take off and get around me. The little bast ardent was trying to get away. I was just barely quick enough to clear my eyes and see Gavin near the exit. I snarled and leapt at him, chomping down on one of his back paws just before he was able to get out. He howled in pain as I clamped my jaw down hard and dragged him back to the center of the den. The others in the pack were sure to have heard that and it was only a matter of time before this place was swarming with eastern and southern mutts.

When I got Gavin to where I wanted him, I bit down as hard as I could on his paw, biting it completely off. A hail storm of painful howls and cursing followed. All I could do was laugh at his pain. Unfortunately with the coming wolves I wouldn't be able to enjoy this as much, but at least I'd still get to kill him.

I chuckled at his failing attempt at crawling away from me. I flipped him over to his back and grasped his throat with one of my paws and pushed down hard, causing him to gasp for air. I stared into his pleading eyes with no hint of remorse. He tried to beg for mercy, pleaded for his life just like I knew he would. All cowards like him do. This wolf was getting exactly what was coming for him. With one forceful push on his throat I broke his wind pipe. In only a few moments he'd be nothing more than a corpse. I got off of him and left him to suffer in the middle of the den, trying to catch a breath that would never come. I went over to the southern wolf and snapped his neck, then went over to Greg and did the same thing. I then made my way to the exit, but before I left I took one last look at Gavin just in time to see his body go limp. I smiled; Mission successful.

But now it was time for me to get my assignment out of there. I left and immediately left into some bushes, just getting as a dozen or more wolves went storming into Gavin's den. I chuckled, aren't they going to be surprised. Now it was time for the harder part of this mission: infiltrating the south and killing Kane. This was going to be fun.


	42. Fall of an Empire part 2: The South

**McCabe**

With Gavin and his second in command out of the way, the East should have a hard time getting themselves together and reorganizing. They're probably running around in a panic, wondering what they were going to do now. Without their insane leader, there wasn't anyone that could call the shots. And from my prior knowledge of meeting Gavin for the first time, he didn't like sharing his whole plan at one time. He gave it in sections, which was pretty smart just in case there was a spy. So it was highly unlikely anyone knew what they were going to do next, hopefully then they'd calm themselves down and stop with this whole slaughter thing. Of course, there was only one problem with what I am thinking. If the south got to them quick enough, they'd be able to regroup them and just put them under their command and there honestly wouldn't be anything they could do about it. They'd be turned into slaving soldiers, wolves put on the front lines to be wiped out while wearing out the enemy. That's why the south had to fall.

It's been years since I've stepped paw in that place. After being all my bad memories of that place it never crossed my mind to return. That and also I was kind of banished, so I wasn't really allowed back. Even though I hadn't been to the pack, I've still been keeping tabs on the place with the help of my favorite raven. Just in case something like this came up and forced me to take action against them was my main reason. Also, I just like knowing things. Anyway, the South is a threat to every wolf left in Jasper and they have to be dealt with. And this little stunt of trying to take over Jasper isn't their first offense. Like I said, I've been keeping tabs and the things they've done under the order of Kane are more terrible than the worst thing I've done, and I've done some pretty bad things. That's why Kane and all of his wolves in command needed to die. Hopefully after I take care of them some wolf with a good heart will step up and take over and maybe lead the south to a better future.

My plan is simple, though it is easier said than done. Ricky was to give me the general location of Kanes Generals. And since it was nearing night, I was almost certain from prior knowledge that they would be in the same area. I'd pick them off one by one until I got to Kane and his personal body guard, Jethro. Jethro would be the hard part of all this. While I'm, well was, a psychotic killer fueled by an unquenchable thirst for blood, Jethro was paw picked and trained from the day he was born to protect Kane at all cost which means he will die for him and he's one tough son of a bitch and he won't be easy to take down. The only way I can have it easy is if I'm able to sneak up on him, which is unlikely. Not only is he a mountain of a wolf, he is also very quick with an acute sense of hearing, more so than most wolves. He's my toughest challenge, and after that all I have to do is kill Kane which will be the easiest thing I've done. The old bastard can barely stand by himself let alone protect himself from me.

Now all I had to do was get to the outskirts of the pack and wait for Ricky. Once he gives me the info I need that's when my work begins. Then I'd be done killing wolves for the rest of my life. I was going to settle down with Abby in a quiet place, maybe have a family. I can't see too far into the future, I could just hope it would be nice and peaceful. I just have to get through this first and I'm home free. Whatever happens with these packs after I'm done today is of no concern to me. I just want to live a normal life for once. No more of wolves telling me who to kill, no more traveling long distances, no more of my old life. My amnesia gave me a second chance and I am going to make the best of it.

It took me the rest of the day to get there, but I finally reached the southern boarders as the sun started to set. This was going to be perfect, I always do my best work at night. My dark fur did a great job at hiding me in the pitch blackness of night. All I needed to do was roll around in some dirt to hide my scent and I'd be golden. I did that as I waited for Ricky to give me the Intel. It didn't take long for him to find me and in no time I had everything I needed to know. Kane had three Generals, each in a different section of the pack. The one known as Bruce was located to the far West wall, where I'd strike first. Then to the center of the southern part of the pack where I'd kill Davis, followed by Delilah who stayed in the center of the east section. Hopefully I'd be able to kill them all in under an hour to give me time to take out Kane and his brute. If one of the bodies was found and Kane was alerted, that would make things a whole lot more difficult. This was going to be about precision and timing. This was probably going to be the hardest thing I'd ever done.

I smirked, "So let's go and have some fun, shall we?" I said to myself as I sprinted towards the pack.

As I pointed out before, there was only one way in and out of the pack, which made entering the pack a challenge, a challenge for a normal wolf. As for me, I lurked quietly in the shadows as I snuck my way past ten guards. If I haven't mentioned it before, Southern wolves are much larger than the other packs. Don't know why. Maybe it's because they live out here and the only way to survive is to be big. So getting caught by these guys wouldn't be fun. That was some extra motivation to get me through there.

Then I was off to the western part of the pack. Though these wolves may be Generals, they aren't the best at fighting. Yes, they can still kick some ass, but put any really skilled fighter in front of them and they're screwd. They're Generals, they're good at leading. Unfortunately for them, leading wasn't going to be able to save them tonight. Bruce would probably be one or the harder ones to kill, yet it would still be considerably easy compared to Jethro. And all I needed to do was find the largest den with wolves guarding it. So kill the guards and Bruce and then move on to Davis.

Like I said, the den wouldn't be hard to find considering the amount of wolves in front of it. I could probably sneak around them and do the job that way, but then I have the possibility of one of the checking in on Bruce and not finding him. It would just cause to many problems; also, there's no fun in letting them live. I was able to effertlessly sneak up behind the four of them. Now all I needed to do was somehow simultaneously take them out. Or take them out one by one without another one noticing. I tried to think through it and find my best option, but after a while I just said 'screw it'. I grabbed the heads of two wolves standing next to each other and slammed them together as hard as I could knocking them both out cold. This caught the attention of the other two who only had enough time to turn and see my claws extended for their throats. They died in seconds. After them, I returned over to the two I knocked out and broke their necks. Then, as not to get caught, I hide the bodies in near by bushes. Now it was to my main goal for over here.

I walked in the den to find a large individual sprawled across the center of the den in a deep sleep. A small smile could be seen and I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it because he wouldn't be smiling for long. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be doing anything ever again in only a few moments. I slowly walked around him and up to his head. I was going to make this quick and easy, because I was already on the clock and I needed to hurry up. I shot my paws at his head and quickly gave a violent jerk, snapping his neck before he could even wake up. All to easy. Now I needed to get the other two and finish with the main event.

Davis and Delilah went down in a very similar way to Bruce. I killed their guards, snuck into their dens as they were asleep and snapped their necks. Delilah was actually awake for a split second only to see me smiling evily down at her. This only took me around thirty minutes to do, a very easy task that left the souths chain of command crippled. All I had to do now was make sure to eradicate it completely by taking out to two main threats to all of Jasper and quite possibly all of Canada. I don't know how exactly this will end, but I can assure that if I'm not dead by the end of the night, Kane and Jethro will be.

I made my way to the northern section of the pack, sticking to the outside by the cliffside to make my job as easy as possible. I did pass a couple of wolves, and even came upon a very interesting scene of a group of wolves having some 'fun'. I was tempted to intervene with their activity, but decided against it. I wasn't going to kill any wolf I didn't have to. My old self would have missed a beat and slaughtered them immediately just to get a little laugh; but that isn't me, not anymore.

I passed into the northern section and continued on my way to Kanes den. As I was walking and scanning the area for any threats that I may come across, my attention was brought to a small den that was far away from all the others. A den that I knew very well as the place I endured so much pain and torment from a sadistic asshole who was my older brother. I know my time was dwindling and I needed to hurry up, but I couldn't help but be drawn into my old home. I haven't seen it in so long, not that that's a bad thing.

I walked into the vacant den and became a little shocked at what I saw. A pile of bones lie in the same spot I killed my brother all those years ago. I guess they never got around to burying him, or in the least throwing him scrapped remains out of the den; he didn't deserve a burial. It actually made me happy to know that his body laid in waste here rotting away, it made me killing him all the better. Knowing that the bastard got exactly what he deserved, which is absolutely nothing. I stayed for a few more seconds before I decided that was enough of my past for now. I needed to get back to the task at paw.

Nothing else distract me as I walked straight to Kanes den and hid behind a bush a little ways away but with it still in sight, and sitting right outside was my greatest challenge: Jethro. The wolf was even larger than Ricky described. He was definitely a mountain of a wolf, towering over me and most others. Did I fear him? Not at all. The challenge was going to be good for a change. End my killing streak with a bang. Lucky for me, , this den was far away from all the rest, and the only one guarding it was Jethro. So I fight him and kill him, then kill Kane and book it out of here and get back to Abby followed by telling Humphrey and his pack that the deed was done. After that I would just be going wherever life took me, just Abby and me doing whatever we feel like. It was going to be great.

From the bushes, I emerged and presented myself to the massive wolf, Jethro. He looked down lazily at me with slight amusement. "And what do you think your doing here?" He asked.

I gave a nonchalant shrug,"Oh, I was just sight seeing and was around here so I decided I'd check out my old pack. Also, topple the south by killing all its leaders. You know, the usual," I explained with a chipper voice. His smile faded and he glared down at me.

"Your him, aren't you? The one all the stories are about. The sadistic killer who was cast out of this pack for being to dangerous?" He questioned. I bobbed my head from side to side, he wasn't completely wrong.

"I guess that's me. So yah, I guess I'm going to have to kill you before I get to Kane," I said getting down into a fighting stance waiting for the fight of my life. I expected for him to do the same, but all he did was stand there, thinking. He looked at me, then into the den where Kane was, and then back at me. Then he gave a small chuckle.

"Go right ahead and kill him." Okay, now that's not something I was expecting. "The guys an asshole, this pack sucks, and life is terrible. Ive been used my whole life as a weapon, I don't even know who my parents are. So go ahead and kill him. Saves me a lot of trouble of thinking of myself as a traitor to everyone I know," he explained.

He seemed genuine with everything he was saying, but I still didn't feel like I should trust him. He seemed to get tired of me staring at him and gestured for me to go inside. I was reluctant, but decided to trust him. I slowly walked into the den eyeing Jethro the whole way in. Once I got in without him attacking me, I decide he was serious about everything he said. He wanted this wolf dead, but he didn't have the balls to do it.

I looked and found my target laying in the back corner sleeping just like all my other targets. Only this time, I was going to have a little more fun. I walked over to him and didn't waste any time as I brought my paw smashing down on his ribs, getting a sickening 'crack' from them. Immediately, he shot awake and went to howl in pain, but I brought my paws over his muzzle before he could. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against a wall, enjoying the feeling of him struggling under my grip as I chocked him. Once he got a clear look at me, his eyes widened.

"Guessing I was the last wolf you were expecting to see tonight," I chuckled. "What can I say, I like surprises."

His struggle became less and less with every second that passed, his life sliding away from my paws. But I wasn't going to let him off that easily. With my free paw, I jammed my claws into his chest spewing blood all over the walls and myself. His eyes shot open with the sudden shock and pain from the blow. I did it again and again and again until I finally felt his body go limp. I dropped his body and turned to walk away. I was done. I had nothing more to do.

I walked out and was greeted by a very happy looking Jethro. "Glad that he's gone. Maybe this pack can actually be normal now. I mean Ka..." I interrupted him as I uppercut ted him and chomped down hard on his throat, killing him in seconds. Jethro held to much authority and knew too much of Kanes plans. If I let him live, it was possible that nothing would have changed. I made sure that didn't happen. I released a big breath of relief; now my work was finally over and my old life officially stops here. Now I've got a normal life to go live.

* * *

 **Another chapter done, and another story coming to a close. Yep, after 42 chapters of this I'm finally bringing it to an end with the next chapter... probably, most likely. It's been fun and I've enjoyed writing this for y'all. I just hope you guys enjoyed it as well.** **The next chapter will wrap everything up and bring a close to Sawtooth Wolves.**

 **I thank you for reading, and as always reviews are appreciated.**

 **Peace Out**


	43. Sawtooth Wolves

**Humphrey**

These past couple of months have been the craziest, busiest, weirdest, and somehow greatest months of my life. Never had I expected all of this to transpire into what it became. Being taken to Sawtooth was the start of many surprises that would come.

I mean first I break my leg which ends up getting us taken to Kate's long lost uncle who happened to have gone through the same thing as Kate and I; being in love with someone of the opposite rank. Cecil had actually given up becoming the head alpha of the west in order to be with the one he love who was an omega. After hearing that Story, Kate decided she wanted the same thing and that night we confessed our love for each other, which became on of the happiest days of my life. Then I end up meeting my parents and siblings, which was a roller-coaster of emotions all in itself; but in the end I was happy to have them in my life.

Of course the joy couldn't last as my injuries were much more severe than we thought and I almost ended up dieing. I was passed out for the decision, but they decided that the only way for me to survive was to taken in by the Park Rangers. So they dropped me off and the humans fixed me up. After that they put me in a gated off area for me to heal and that's where I met McCabe. The wolf who lost his memory from being pushed off a cliff by Garth. He was a nice wolf at heart with his memories lost, but his past wouldn't quite describe him as nice. Him being a mercenary that has killed dozens of wolves just for the pleasure of killing. You can thank that to his asshole of a brother, though, who he also killed after he raped McCabe. Also in the pen, Abby was brought in who became McCabe's love.

Skip ahead and I was able to get free from the humans when McCabe came to get me after he was released. From there I went back and was reunited with my family, but was unfortunate in that Kate had already gone back to Jasper. Yet it seemed the universe was feeling generous as that same night, Kate sprinted the whole water from Jasper just to come and see me, hoping that I had made it out of the humans containment. It was that night that I proposed to her, wanting her to be my mate so I could love her for the rest of my life.

That's when thing went downhill. The next day when we were on our way back to Jasper, we met back up with Garth which was trying to get help from a pack that could save our pack. Unfortunately, they declined. Then, when he saw McCabe he freaked out because before he lost his memory McCabe attacked him and Lilly with orders to kill them, then to come after Kate and I and kill us. So he freaked out and took off and was chased by Abby, and I couldn't just let them run off so I went after the too. That's where most of his memory came back to him and he told us of who he was and how he ended up being the wolf that so many feared. Luckily, he didn't see himself as that anymore and is using his amnesia as a second chance.

He decided that it be best that he stayed behind and Abby stayed with him. I went back to Kate and Garth and we continued on our way to Jasper. The only thing is we didn't expect what we got back to. The West was in shambles as most of the wolves, both alphas and omegas, pups and adults, were killed leaving only a small fraction of the pack left. Both Kate's parents were killed, fortunately for her she still has her sister and her uncle. But with the pack torn apart there were some decisions that had to be made. At first, it was all arguing and the conversations got nowhere. Then I had an idea and proposed that we go down to Sawtooth and stay there. Everyone actually seemed fine with the idea and we were going to do that until a very unexpected guest arrived.

McCabe, being one of the most hated wolf in this pack, decided he should come and make a visit. He's lucky Garth and others didn't try to rip him apart. Though, it would have been interesting to see who would have won that fight. But once he explained his reasoning for coming, the others calmed down a little. He told us he'd take out the Gavin and Kane, the leaders of the East and South packs. It was an offer we couldn't refuse seeing as we had little to loose from it anyway. Plus I'm sure Tony and some others expected it to be a suicide mission for him so if one of the pack leaders didn't due he be our of the way from being a threat. I didn't see him as harmful anymore, but I can't try and tell anyone that because no one listens.

That was a month ago when McCabe said he'd take care of the tyrants of those packs and when we left Jasper coming to stay temporary, or at least that was supposed to be the plan. It's just that Sawtooth has really been a nice place to stay these past couple of weeks. It's beautiful, plenty of food to eat, no worries of other wolves trying to attack us; it's been real nice. Also, old Eastern and Western wolves have seemed to put aside the fact that they are from different packs and have come together to help build up this temporary pack. But I think theres a chance that this place may become more permanent than we first expected. There is honestly no reason for us to go back to Jasper. All that's there is a whole jumble of bad memories and dozens of dead wolves. It's just a mess up there and we have no guarantee safety with the south and the new East. It just doesn't make sense to go back there when everything is going so great over here.

Anyway, we don't even know if McCabe did what he said he would. Like I said it's been a month since we left and there is still no word back from him. So either he's dead or he's just decided to take the scenic route to Sawtooth.

More reasons why I actually want to stay here is because I've already started making good memories. First, I met family I thought was dead for years, then I got the love of my life, I proposed to her here, and a couple of weeks ago we finally made it official. We had our ceremony and became the first alpha and omega wolves of the east and west to legally marry each other. I'll never forget that day. It will live up to be the greatest day of my life for a long time. I'll always remember how beautiful Kate looked walking towards me, her sweet scent and the passionate kiss we shared to seal us together for all eternity. All of that was great, but the best part was that night when we made love with each other for the first time. Being that close and intimate with her has made me love her even more than I already did, and I thought that was impossible.

Funny enough from that night, we didn't realize what time of the year it was with everything going on. Kate actually ended up getting pregnant and I am going to be a father. It was quite the shocker to both of us considering we hadn't planned to be parents for a while, but we her happy none the less. I know how much Kate has always wanted pups and I was glad that they were going to be ours. That is also another reason why I didn't want to go back to Jasper. I was going to have to talk with Kate about this and talk her into staying here even if everyone heads back. I just think that it's the best thing that we can possibly do. I'd much rather raise my pups here rather in a place of war and death. I'm hoping Kate will think the same as me.

I was waiting in mine and Kate's den contemplating all this in my head as I was lying down staring out into the beautiful scenery. With Kate being put in charge by her father we were able to get one of the nicer dens that were available and didn't have to take a crappie one or build one. I was waiting for Kate to get back from Tony's weekly meetings that she had to attend. Luckily, they began early in the morning so she was usually back by the time I woke up. Unfortunately, I had woken up early and could get back to sleep which led me to reflect on everything that had happens to lead up to this point. It's crazy to think all of that happend in the span of only a couple months. And with everything that has happened, even with all the terrible things, I wouldn't want to change it one bit. I may be sounding selfish because I am. My whole life I've been waiting to be with the girl of my dreams even with everyone telling me it would never happen, saying it was impossible for an alpha and omega. Yet here I am with the greatest alpha of them all. Sometimes it doesn't even seem real, but it is and I wouldn't want to do anything that could change that.

My head popped up as I heard someone walking towards the den. My tail wagged excitedly as I expected to see Kate come walking in, but as the wolf, or should I say wolves, got closer I knew it wasn't her from their scents. Instead I was surprised to find McCabe and Abby walk into my den with bright smiles. My initial shock soon wore out and I got up and greeted the two with big hugs.

"Where have you guys been. You said you'd be right back; it's been weeks," I expressed. McCabe shrugged, as he did in most situations.

"I thought it would be better to stick around and see how things play out with the packs. As well as have some quality alone time with my mate," he smiled, leaning up against her and giving off a cheesy smile. Abby rolled her eyes and pushed him off.

"Yah, I finally convinced this mutt to come back here. Hasn't left my side since he got back from killing that southern leader wolf."

"So they are dead. What happened with the packs then?" I questioned.

"Things have calmed down for the most part. I haven't heard anymore talk about domination Jasper from either packs and there hasn't been any attempt on advancing anywhere. Mostly, they were all panicked are first, but eventually there were wolves who stepped into power. As far as I could tell they aren't as bad as Gavin and Kane, but it's only been a month and I can't be sure. As for the west, right now it's just a vacant spot of land that still reeks of death; but there's nothing stopping you from moving back."

"Actually, that won't be necessary," a familiar voice said from behind them. We all turned our heads to see Kate walking in. My eyes immediately were drawn to her belly as she was just barley starting to show signs of her pregnancy. Abby must have noticed too, because she gave a little squeal and ran over to Kate to congratulate her, then back over to me to give the same. McCabe was left in the dark so Abby had to enlighten him, and once he knew he had a goofy little smile and I knew exactly what was running through his head. Abby saw it too and smacked him upside the head.

"What won't be necessary?" I asked Kate, getting the conversation back on track.

"Moving back to Jasper won't be necessary. The meeting this morning was about weather or not we should go back. Everyone voted against it because Sawtooth has been a perfect place for us to start a new life. So we're staying here."

My eyes lit up and I started hopping around with glee. This was exactly what I wanted. To be able to stay here and live the rest of our lives happily and in peace without fearing about another pack attacking us. A place where Kate's and mine pups could run around and play without us being worried of them being pup napped. This was perfect. I brought Kate into a great big hug and gave her a kiss.

"I love you so much and I know we're going to be happy here for the rest of our lives." I turned to Abby and McCabe with Kate still in my embrace. "And I'd be happy if you two stay here with us. We are indebted to what you've done for us and I'm sure it would be fine if you stayed." The two looked at each other unsure about it. I understand why, there are still probably some wolves here who would die before they let him in. But I have a feeling if he stayed long enough, everyone would eventually warm up to him because he really is a nice guy.

"Well have to think about it, but not now. Abby and I were going to do some traveling before we settled down," he said. I nodded in understanding, I wasn't going to push this on him. But I had a feeling they'd come back eventually and take me up on the offer. As of now I was just so happy how in the end things turned out just fine. It's funny how desperately Kate wanted to get back to Jasper at first, and now we'll be staying here permanently.

We are no longer Jasper wolves, as weird as that sounds. But now we have a new place to call home where we'll make plenty of good memories. From now on we'll be known as Sawtooth Wolves.

 **Another story finished and put on the shelf. I really enjoyed writing this and had a great time reading all your comments and pms. I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing and making this my most successful story yet. It has been a pleasure.**

 **It may be a bit early to be saying this, but there is a chance in the future for this to get a sequel. I have a few ideas swimming in my head that I might do but I'm not sure. Pm or comment if a sequel is something you'd want me to do.**

 **And I guess that's it for this. For the last time on this story**

 **Peace Out**


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